SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service: Victims

David Burrowes: To ask the Solicitor-General by what methods the Crown Prosecution Service has kept victims of crime informed of the progress of prosecutions since 2002.

Vera Baird: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) introduced the initiative known as Direct Communications with Victims in 2001. Under this initiative, victims are written to when key prosecution decisions are taken. Senior CPS prosecutors also meet victims or their families in very serious cases to explain decisions. Additionally the phased introduction of witness care units (WCU) across England and Wales during 2004-05 has meant that CPS and police staff are able to provide information and support to victims and other witnesses based on the individuals preferred means of contact.

Dorneywood

Nick Hurd: To ask the Solicitor-General with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1187W, on Dorneywood: official hospitality, what use the Attorney-General's Office has made of Dorneywood for official engagements in the last 12 months.

Vera Baird: The Attorney-General's Office has not used Dorneywood for any official engagements during the last year.

Victims: Prosecutions

David Burrowes: To ask the Solicitor-General with reference to the answer of 27 March 2009,  Official Report, column 729W, on prosecutions, when she expects the comprehensive review of resources available to victim and witness care to report.

Vera Baird: The review referred to was intended to assess and inform the staffing of the joint police/CPS witness care units (WCU), and thereafter the effective deployment of victim and witness care resources.
	The first strand of the review, in relation to the staffing of the WCU, has been completed, and CPS resources dedicated to these units have been maintained for the financial year 2010-11. A further strand of the review will take place during 2010, to ensure full consideration is given to the impact of the launch of the National Victims Service.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Information Officers

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in his Department have the status of  (a) embedded communicators and  (b) are members of the Government Communications Network and are not listed in the Central Office of Information White Book.

Ann McKechin: No staff at the Scotland Office have the status of embedded communicators. No staff are members of the Government Communications Network and not listed in the COI White Book.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not employ any staff directly. All staff in the Office are seconded from other Government Departments, mainly the Scottish Executive and Ministry of Justice. Staffing information containing the grade and gender breakdown of all staff using the Scottish Executive's grading structure, for illustrative purposes, is published in the Office's annual report. Under this grading structure, there are currently nine grades between the most senior and the most junior posts in the Scotland Office. The Office does not keep information on salary and associated employment costs in the form requested.

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many citizens' juries or summits have been hosted by his Department since October 2008; on what date each event took place; and which Ministers were present at each event.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has not arranged any citizens' juries or summits since October 2008. On 31 October 2009 I attended a public consultative event on the Bill of Rights and Responsibilities in Edinburgh arranged by the Ministry of Justice.

Hotels

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many separate bookings for hotels graded at five star or above were made through the Expotel booking service by his Department in the latest year for which figures are available; and at what cost such bookings were made.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not separately record information on the grade of hotel booked by officials.
	All travel and subsistence is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code. All expenditure has been incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

WALES

Children: Poverty

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers and ministerial colleagues on steps to be taken to reduce levels of child poverty in Wales.

Wayne David: During recent bi-lateral meetings with Ministers at the Welsh Assembly Government I have discussed the Child Poverty Bill. This Bill commits the Government to eradicating child poverty by 2020 and will enshrine in law an ambitious set of targets to achieve this goal.
	The Government are also taking action to assist children from low income families across the UK through the introduction of Child Trust Funds enabling families to save for their children's future with additional funding for low income households. 64,000 children in Wales will benefit from an additional Welsh premium. The Government have also ensured an increase in the child element of child tax credit benefiting an estimated 380,000 children and in child benefit, benefiting an estimated 640,000 children in Wales.
	The Welsh Assembly Government are further complementing these efforts through the introduction of legislation such as the proposed Children and Families (Wales) Measure underpinning their commitment to the target set for 2020. This recognises families in poverty often face multiple disadvantages requiring specialist and intensive support. The Welsh Assembly Government also has in place a range of policies aimed at tackling child poverty including employment support programmes, childcare initiatives, education and health programmes and Communities First interventions.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many performance reviews were undertaken in respect of staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a direct result of such a rating; and what percentage of full-time equivalent staff this represented.

Peter Hain: Performance Management in the Wales Office is an ongoing process, with all staff undergoing annual and mid-year formal performance reviews. The total numbers of annual performance reviews carried out in each of the last five years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Total annual performance reviews undertaken 
			   Number 
			 2004-05 52 
			 2005-06 57 
			 2006-07 57 
			 2007-08 56 
			 2008-09 59 
		
	
	Only a very small number of staff received 'unsatisfactory' markings during each of those five years. Therefore actual numbers cannot be provided without compromising staff confidentiality.
	The award of an unsatisfactory performance marking invokes poor performance procedures, but would not directly result in dismissal. Support is provided to employees to reach and maintain the required standards of performance.

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many citizens' juries or summits have been hosted by his Department since October 2008; on what date each event took place; and which Ministers were present at each event.

Peter Hain: None.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register: Expenditure

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much was spent on electoral registration initiatives in each of the last 10 years.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that total expenditure on electoral registration initiatives in each of the last two years was as follows:
	2007-08: £6,461,000
	2008-09: £6,683,000
	Initiatives included in these costs include guidance for electoral administrators, activity relating to the performance standards framework for electoral registration officers, research, the Commission's partnership grants programme and public awareness campaigns to promote voter registration.
	Equivalent information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost as expenditure was accounted for under more than one corporate objective.

Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 22 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1645W, on local government finance, what data sets not contained in the national indicator set local authorities are required to submit to the Electoral Commission.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that local authorities are not required to submit any data sets to the Commission.
	However the Commission further informs me that Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers employed by the local authority are each asked to complete a self assessment return against a performance standards framework and also complete a financial information survey at the end of the financial year. Both the standards and the financial survey are available on the Commission's website:
	www.electoralcommission.org.uk

Local Government: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much had been spent on the Boundary Committee's review of the reorganisation of local government in Suffolk on the latest date for which figures are available.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the amount spent on the structural review of Suffolk to date is £463,950.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Criminal Justice and Policing: Devolution

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of progress in the devolution of criminal justice and policing to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for South Down (Mr. McGrady) and Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper) and my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, East and Mexborough (Jeff Ennis).

Prison Estate

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his most recent assessment is of the adequacy of the prison estate in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: I announced in December 2007 that 400 additional adult male places would be made available by the end of 2010. 230 of these are now operational and 140 under tender for construction. In addition further accommodation is being refurbished and brought back into use at Maghaberry. A detailed business case and design for the replacement prison at Magilligan is under way. An options appraisal for a discrete women's facility has been prepared. Final decisions must take account of funding availability.

Organised Crime

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he plans to take to reduce the financial assets of organised criminal gangs in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Organised Crime Task Force is committed to maximising the value of assets recovered from criminals. Last year £7.3 million of criminal assets were recovered in Northern Ireland against a minimum target of £6.2 million.

Power Sharing

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of prospects for further power sharing in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for South Down (Mr. McGrady) and Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper) and my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley East, and Mexborough (Jeff Ennis).

Departmental Billing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies to pay invoices from (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) all creditors in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the percentage of invoices that have been paid by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) within 10 working days during the nine month period to 31 December 2009.
	
		
			   Percentage paid within 10 working days 
			 Core Department(1) 92 
			   
			  Executive agencies:  
			 Northern Ireland Prison Service 92 
			 Compensation Agency 98 
			 Forensic Science Northern Ireland 83 
			 Youth Justice Agency 81 
			 (1) Including arm's length bodies and the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland but excluding Executive agencies and NDPBs 
		
	
	In line with guidance issued by Cabinet Office on 17 November 2008, the Department and agencies revised internal timescales for the processing and payment of invoices with effect from 1 December 2008. Since then, there has been a steady improvement in the NIO's statistics.
	The Government policy of paying within 10 working days applies to invoices from all suppliers irrespective of size-no distinction is made for small or medium-sized enterprises and separate statistics relating to these groups are not recorded.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) mobile telephones and  (b) BlackBerrys have been provided to (i) Ministers and (ii) special advisers in his Department in (A) 2008-09 and (B) 2009-10 to date; and at what cost to the public purse.

Paul Goggins: A BlackBerry was provided for the Secretary of State in February 2009 at a cost of £212 plus 15 per cent. VAT.
	No other mobiles or BlackBerries were purchased for Ministers or special advisers in 2008-09 or 2009-10.

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many citizens' juries or summits have been hosted by his Department since October 2008; on what date each event took place; and which Ministers were present at each event.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has not hosted any citizens' juries or summits since October 2008.

State Visits: Republic of Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons the President of the Irish Republic was invited to the Police Training College on 28 January 2010; and who invited her.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

14 Tothill Street

Stewart Jackson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what expenditure the House of Commons Commission has incurred on  (a) rent,  (b) refurbishment,  (c) business rates and  (d) utility provision in respect of 14 Tothill Street in the last 12 months.

Nick Harvey: The Commons share of expenditure for 14 Tothill Street for the 12 months to 31 December 2009 was:
	
		
			   £ 
			 ( a) Rent 2,400,000 
			  (b) Refurbishment 1,300,000 
			  (c) Business rates 175,000 
			  (d) Utilities 28,000

14 Tothill Street

Stewart Jackson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what contribution the House of Lords has made to the Commission towards the cost of  (a) rent,  (b) refurbishment,  (c) business rates and  (d) utilities in respect of 14 Tothill Street in the last 12 months.

Nick Harvey: The House of Lords made the following contributions for the year ended 31 December 2009:
	
		
			   £ 
			  (a) Rent 1,610,000 
			  (b) Refurbishment 3,239,000 
			  (c) Business rates 117,000 
			  (d) Utilities 29,000

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Topical Debates

Dai Davies: To ask the Leader of the House how many applications have been received each week asking for subjects to be debated in topical debates since their inception; and what the 10 most popular subjects proposed for debate have been since procedures for such debates were instituted.

Barbara Keeley: I have today issued a written ministerial statement outlining proposed subjects for topical debate between 18 November 2009 and 31 January 2010.
	Following a review of topical debate procedure in October 2007, the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has issued regular written ministerial statements setting out this information. These can be found in the  Official Report:
	7 February 2008,  Official Report, column 83WS
	24 April 2008,  Official Report, column 110WS
	14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 7WS
	25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 79WS
	12 February 2009  Official Report, column 108WS
	3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 14WS
	3 December 2009,  Official Report, column 135WS.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Salmon: Merseyside

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the size of the salmon population in  (a) the River Mersey and  (b) all rivers in the Merseyside region, (i) on the latest date for which information is available and (ii) (A) two, (B) five, (C) 10 and (D) 15 years ago.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The current assessment of the salmon population size in the Mersey catchment covers two elements of the fish's life cycle:
	1. Numbers of adult fish entering the Mersey Catchment.
	2. Numbers of juvenile salmon in the Rivers Goyt and Bollin.
	No distinction is made between  (a) River Mersey and  (b) All Rivers in the Merseyside region when assessing adult salmon. All monitoring of adult numbers is carried out at the Woolston Weir Fish Pass and Trap in Warrington.
	The Woolston fish pass was adapted to trap fish in 2001, shortly after evidence was collated to confirm the arrival of adult salmon in the river. It has since been run in the autumn of each year.
	
		
			   Number of adult salmon  Number of days fish trap is operated 
			 2001 3 18 
			 2002 26 48 
			 2003 1 6 
			 2004 (1)- (1)- 
			 2005 42 10 
			 2006 8 21 
			 2007 35 41 
			 2008 45 20 
			 2009 3 4 
			 (1) Shut for health and safety modification 
		
	
	The number of days spent trapping varies from year to year and is dependent upon the amount of resource available.
	Video technology is currently being developed for the trap to enable the remote counting of adult salmon all year round.
	Juvenile salmon distribution is currently monitored on the River Goyt by electric fishing for young fish and the counting of adult redds (nests). Since young salmon were discovered on the River Goyt in 2001, they have been counted in small numbers every year on the river.
	
		
			   Number of juvenile salmon  Number of surveys in the lower Goyt 
			 2005 4 4 
			 2006 6 8 
			 2007 4 5 
			 2008 0 1 
			 2009 1 6 
		
	
	Juvenile salmon surveys will start on the River Bollin in 2010. This river has now been opened up to adults by the building of two new fish passes, developed as part of the Environment Agency Mersey Life project.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Broadband

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK households do not have access to broadband internet services.

Stephen Timms: Ofcom's Communications Market Report: English Regions (Published August 2009) reported that about 4,200 UK households were not connected to a broadband enabled exchange at the end of 2008. The report can be found at:
	http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/cm/cmrnr09/england/nrcmreng.pdf
	For some 11 per cent. of households connected to a broadband enabled exchange, line lengths or other technical issue mean that the speed delivered to the customer is less than 2 Mbits.

Business

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department collates on the  (a) number of businesses in and  (b) annual revenue of the independent hand car wash sector.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 29 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what information the department collates on the (a) number of businesses in and (b) annual revenue of the independent hand car wash sector (312694).
	The ONS does not collect information specifically relating to the independent car wash sector. This industry is subsumed within a larger industrial classification, which is 'Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles' and estimates of the number of businesses and their revenue can only be produced for the aggregate.

Copyright: Recordings

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to bring forward legislation to clarify the lawfulness of copying for personal use a recording the copier purchased; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The law in this area is clear: it does not permit the copying for personal use of a recording the copier has purchased, without permission of the copyright holder. For example, tracks purchased online are often accompanied by licences permitting consumers to make a limited number of copies for their own use, but many CDs have "all rights reserved".
	The Government carefully considered this issue in their Copyright Strategy, "(c) the way ahead", and the second stage consultation on copyright exceptions arising from the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property. We concluded that a UK-only approach will be unable to deliver the correct balance between the access that consumers desire and the appropriate remuneration that rights holders need. EU-wide consideration is required, which we would support.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure his Department incurred on representation at official level at overseas events in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: The Department does not centrally record details of representation at official level at overseas events. The Department holds information on overseas travel at the aggregate level but does not specifically relate these costs to events abroad, to obtain this information would entail disproportionate cost.
	The Department publishes details of senior staff on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/about/board/expenses
	Overseas conferences attended are included.

Employment: Females

Maria Miller: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of women who work  (a) between one and five,  (b) between six and 10,  (c) between 11 and 15,  (d) between 16 and 20,  (e) between 21 and 25,  (f) between 25 and 30,  (g) between 31 and 35 and  (h) over 35 hours a week in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 28 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the proportion of women who work (a) between one and five, (b) between six and 10, (c) between 11 and 15, (d) between 16 and 20, (e) between 21 and 25, (f) between 25 and 30, (g) between 31 and 35 and (h) over 35 hours a week in each year since 1997. (313558)
	The table provided shows the usual weekly hours worked by women as published in the monthly Labour Market Statistical Bulletin, accessible via the link below. Estimates for the more detailed categories requested are not available on a basis consistent with those published.
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=1944
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Indications of the sampling variability of LFS aggregate estimates are provided in the Statistical Bulletin.
	
		
			  Usual weekly hours of work( 1)  for women in employment: Three month periods ending November, 1997 to2009-United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			   Less than 6  h ours  6 up to 15 hours  16 up to 30 hours  31 up to 45 hours  Over 45 hours 
			 1997 3.1 13.9 27.3 45.3 10.4 
			 1998 3.0 14.1 27.2 45.6 10.1 
			 1999 3.0 13.2 27.7 45.8 10.2 
			 2000 2.7 13.1 28.7 45.4 10.1 
			 2001 2.5 12.4 28.9 46.3 9.9 
			 2002 2.5 12.0 29.1 46.1 10.2 
			 2003 2.5 12.2 29.6 46.0 9.7 
			 2004 2.3 11.9 29.6 46.7 9.6 
			 2005 2.2 11.2 29.6 47.6 9.5 
			 2006 2.5 11.4 29.6 46.8 9.7 
			 2007 2.2 11.4 29.3 47.5 9.7 
			 2008 2.3 10.7 30.1 47.3 9.7 
			 2009 2.3 11.0 30.8 46.3 9.6 
			 (1) Main job only including paid and unpaid overtime.  Note: It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.)  Source: Labour Force Survey

Higher Education: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2010,  Official Report, 848-9W, on higher education: Chelmsford, how many applicants from  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Chelmsford local authority area did not get a place at university in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.  [Official Report, 8 April 2010, Vol. 508, c. 15MC.]

David Lammy: holding answer 1 February 2010
	The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Applicants to full-time undergraduate courses via UCAS from West Chelmsford constituency and Chelmsford local authority area 2005-06 to 2007-08 
			   Year of entry 
			   2005  2006  2007 
			  West Chelmsford constituency
			 Applicants 874 915 984 
			 Of which:
			 Obtained a place 753 786 834 
			 Unplaced 121 129 150 
			 
			  Chelmsford local authority
			 Applicants 1,372 1,402 1,517 
			 Of which:
			 Obtained a place 1,190 1,195 1,287 
			 Unplaced 182 207 230

Insolvency

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of creditors' committees in scrutinising insolvency practitioners.

Ian Lucas: Creditors have a financial interest in the outcome of insolvency proceedings and are therefore well placed to monitor the actions of insolvency practitioners. Ultimately insolvency practitioners are subject to the control of the court.
	The OFT is currently undertaking a study into various aspects of the corporate insolvency market.

Manufacturing Industries: Government Assistance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to provide financial support for manufacturing industry.

Ian Lucas: The manufacturing strategy launched in September 2008 brings together over £150 million support for a range of policy measures that address key issues impacting on competitiveness such as skills, design, technology, global value chains and the move to a low carbon economy.
	The advanced manufacturing package of measures announced in July 2009 provides more than £150 million from the strategic investment fund to support the development of high tech manufacturing that will enable UK manufacturers to take advantage of new market opportunities.
	In addition, manufacturing benefits from:
	The Real Help for Business package-support for manufacturers is described in the leaflet which is available at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file53764.pdf
	The Vehicle Scrappage Scheme where more than 330,000 orders for new vehicles have been placed.
	The Manufacturing Advisory Service which has been expanded and has conducted over 32,000 manufacturing reviews and supported more than 11,800 implementation projects worth nearly £700 million value added.

Museums and Galleries: Finance

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on the Higher Education Funding Council for England's review of funding for its Museums, Galleries and Collections Fund; and when he expects the review to be published;
	(2)  how much funding the Higher Education Funding Council for England has allocated to museums and galleries in each of the last five years, expressed in 2009-10 prices.

David Lammy: holding answer 6 January 2010
	 The Higher Education Museum, Galleries and Collections Fund recognises the importance of these nationally valued institutions. I am pleased that the resources we have allocated to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) mean that they are planning not only to continue this funding stream, but also to increase it to £10.6 million in 2010/11.
	However, it is important that all special funding streams are reviewed periodically. This ensures that public funds continue to be spent wisely. The Museums Fund is currently under review by a panel appointed by the Funding Council. The review will make broad recommendations about the fund's future. The HEFCE Board will make detailed funding decisions for individual institutions based on these recommendations. I understand that those decisions are expected to be made before the summer, after which the review report will be published.
	The Department has received correspondence from Oxford university and the university of Central Lancashire on this subject.
	The total allocation in each year is as follows:
	
		
			  University Museums and Galleries Funding 
			   £ million 
			 2005/06 10.8 
			 2006/07 9.9 
			 2007/08 0.2 
			 2008/09 10.2 
			 2009/10 10.1 
			 2010/11 10.6 
			  Note: The figures show levels of the Higher Education Museum, Galleries and Collections Fund over the past five years in cash terms. In 2005/06 the fund was administered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The figure for 2005/06 shows both core and project funding from the AHRC and is not comparable to that for subsequent years.

Royal Mail: Snow and Ice

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with Royal Mail on its service to customers in areas which did not receive mail deliveries during the recent adverse weather conditions; what  (a) information and  (b) consultation Royal Mail held with such customers; and what assessment has been made of whether the universal service obligation was complied with during the period of adverse weather conditions.

Patrick McFadden: Department officials were in contact with Royal Mail during the severe weather.
	Decisions relating to operational matters are the direct responsibility of the company and local assessments were made on whether services could operate safely under local conditions. Royal Mail kept customers informed of disrupted services via its website:
	www.royalmail.com
	but due to the nature of the changing conditions, assessments had to be regularly made and it was not always possible to give customers advanced notice of whether local services will be operating as normal.
	Postcomm, the independent postal regulator, is responsible for monitoring Royal Mail's performance in relation to the universal service obligation. The regulator receives regular compliance reports from Royal Mail regarding its quality of service and will where appropriate raise any reasonable concerns with the company over any significant interruption to local services due to the severe weather conditions.
	The Government would like to thank postmen and women up and down the country for their efforts to deliver the mail in the face of the extreme weather conditions recently experienced in the UK.

Train to Gain Programme

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on skills brokers under the Train to Gain programme in each of the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: The expenditure for each of the three years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2006-07 28 
			 2007-08 39 
			 2008-09 45

Video Games: Finance

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much financial assistance was given by regional development agencies to the video games industry in 2008-09.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows how much has been invested by each RDA in projects specifically aimed at the video game industry.
	
		
			  RDA  RDA financial assistance to the video games industry in 2008-09 (£000)( 1) 
			 AWM 729 
			 EEDA 288 
			 EMDA 0 
			 LDA 250 
			 NWDA 135 
			 ONE 931 
			 SEEDA 58 
			 SWERDA 0 
			 YF 195 
			 (1) To identify the financial assistance that has been provided from broader programmes (e.g. business support) would incur disproportionate cost.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the monetary value of cash allowances awarded to military staff in Afghanistan was in 2008-09.

Bob Ainsworth: The monetary value of cash allowances awarded to military staff in Afghanistan in 2008-09 was £30.6 million on local overseas allowance and longer separation allowance. These allowances contribute towards the necessary additional local cost of day-to-day living of those serving overseas and compensate personnel who are experiencing longer than usual separation from their families.
	A further £66.5 million was awarded for the operational allowance in Iraq and Afghanistan, of which approximately £40 million was in Afghanistan. This allowance recognises the increased danger involved in serving in specified operational locations, over and above that which is taken into account in basic pay.
	The allowances were funded from the reserve as a net additional cost of military operations.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2010,  Official Report, column 516W, on Afghanistan, to how many of his Department's civilian staff based in Afghanistan in 2008-09 the total was paid.

Bob Ainsworth: In financial year 2008-09, operational allowances were paid to 104 MOD civilian personnel based in Afghanistan.

Armed Forces: Absence without Leave

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel were absent without leave in each month in 2009.

Kevan Jones: The information is not held centrally in the format requested. Centrally held information relates to the number of absent without leave incidents and not to the number of personnel. Additionally, data are only available by month in respect of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. In respect of the Army, only the year to date total is held centrally and to obtain this information by month will require a manual search of records which could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The available figures are provided in the following table.
	AWOL statistics are recorded by the number of incidences reported, because the figures may include service personnel who have been AWOL on more than one occasion. Furthermore, following the reporting of an incidence of AWOL, information may later come to light of extenuating circumstances for that unauthorised absence, such as compassionate, hospitalisation or travel delays beyond the individual's control. In such cases a service person may not be formally charged but the incidence is still recorded.
	
		
			  Incidents of reported AWOL for each month of 2009 
			   Royal Navy  Army  Royal Air Force 
			 January 5 - 1 
			 February 10 - 0 
			 March 10 - 0 
			 April 5 - 0 
			 May 10 - 0 
			 June 10 - 0 
			 July 10 - 0 
			 August 5 - 1 
			 September 10 - 0 
			 October 10 - 1 
			 November 5 - 3 
			 December 0 - 0 
			 Total 85 (1)2,110 6 
			 (1) This is the number of recorded incidences, not the number of people AWOL or the number of charges brought.  Note: Figures for the Royal Navy and Army are rounded to the nearest five.

Departmental Billing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies to pay invoices from (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) all creditors in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence, its agencies and trading funds are fully committed to achieving the Government target of paying 90 per cent. of invoices within 10 days, and is a signatory to the Prompt Payment Code.
	Since March 2009, we have consistently exceeded the target, and the latest figures show that 98.74 per cent. of invoices submitted by all suppliers were paid within 10 days of receipt. But we are not complacent and continue to seek improvements in our bill-paying performance to ensure that all our suppliers are paid promptly.
	We have made no separate assessment of the time taken to pay small and medium-sized enterprises.

Departmental Public Relations

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department  (a) allocated for and  (b) spent on public relations activities in each year since 2001; how much was spent on external consultants in each such year; what companies were contracted to provide such services in each such year; and how much he plans to spend on such activities in 2010.

Bob Ainsworth: The setting of detailed budgetary allocations is delegated to local budget holders. These allocations are revised constantly throughout the financial year to reflect changes in the Department's priorities. They are not therefore held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, information on the final budget where this is available is set out in the following table.
	Expenditure on public relations activities (mainly recruitment for the armed forces) has been as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 35.1 
			 2002-03 52.5 
			 2003-04 61.7 
			 2004-05 79.3 
			 2005-06 76.2 
			 2006-07 43.0 
			 2007-08 46.3 
			 2008-09 (1)55.2 
			 (1) Of an allocated budget of £56.7 million 
		
	
	A summary of the MOD's expenditure on external assistance has been placed annually in the Library of the House since 1995-96. The summary includes expenditure information provided by our trading funds that lie outside the MOD's accounting boundary. Budgetary information is not held. External assistance includes management consultancy, specialist lawyers, commercial bankers and IT expertise. Consultants help us to increase our efficiency and effectiveness but we employ them only when we cannot do the work ourselves and can demonstrate value for money.
	A list of companies providing public relations services or external assistance is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, we do publish an annual list of those organisations the MOD pays £5 million or more to during the financial year. This information is in Chapter 1 (most recently in Table 1.17) of UK Defence Statistics, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. The current and historical editions are also available on the MOD's website at the following link:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page=66&pubType=1
	This list includes those major contractors providing external assistance. Where public relations services are required, the MOD may also contract with companies included in the Public Relations Framework, a centralised procurement service run by the Central Office of Information.
	We are reviewing the detail of final budgets for 2009-10 pending the presentation of the Spring Supplementary Estimates to Parliament later this month.
	Detailed budgetary information for 2010-11 is not yet available as we are reviewing our detailed resource allocations for that year to take account of current priorities, commitments and budgetary pressures.

Snow and Ice

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department arising from the severe weather conditions in the period 4 January to 18 January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: It is not possible to assess the costs to the Department of the disruption to transport arrangements and the consequent impact on the ability of staff to attend for work during the period of the recent bad weather. Costs such as the costs of structural damage to Defence facilities and infrastructure could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Costs were incurred by the Department in providing military assistance to the civil community where there was an immediate threat to human life or to alleviate suffering. It is standard practice not to charge for such assistance and consequently information on the costs of these operations is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The Department provided assistance to several external organisations where lives were not in imminent danger. The cost of such assistance will be reimbursed by the external organisations involved and there will be no net cost to the Department.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish the travel guidelines issued to staff of each of his Department's agency and non-departmental public bodies.

Si�n Simon: The Department does not hold any travel guidelines issued by its agency or non-departmental public bodies. Any payment in relation to travel should be made in accordance with Managing Public Money.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with local radio stations on the  (a) financial and  (b) other effects on them of the digital switchover.

Si�n Simon: My Department has held two local radio summits with the commercial radio representative body RadioCentre, to discuss the effects of the Digital Radio Switchover with small station owners.

Digital Broadcasting: Religious Buildings

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with representatives of places of worship on the effects on them of the digital switchover.

Si�n Simon: I have had no recent discussions.

Football: World Cup

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on support for the Football Association's FIFA 2018 World cup bid.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In addition to staff costs, the Department is making a loan of £2.5 million to the Football Association in support of England's bid to host the 2018 World cup. This money will be used for developing the technical bid and not on entertaining or salaries. It will also be repaid into grass roots football if the bid is unsuccessful, with the loan and a share of the profits from the tournament going into the grass roots if successful. As a result, this represents good value for money for sport.

Football: World Cup

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials of his Department are working on the bid for the UK to host the 2018 World cup.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Four of my officials are currently working on the bid for England to host the 2018 World cup as part of their wider remit that involves all major sporting events.

Licensing

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department and its agencies spent on font licensing in the last three years.

Si�n Simon: My Department and its Agency have not spent anything on font licensing in the last three years.

Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 22 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1645W, on local government finance, what data sets not contained in the national indicator set  (a) municipal libraries and  (b) local authorities are required to submit to his Department and its agencies.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has no statutory requirements for submission of datasets from local authorities.
	Local authorities that have signed up to the free swimming initiative are responsible for submitting quarterly data on the number of free swims that have taken place in their area each month as part of the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Free Swimming Programme. The Department also collects details of alcohol, entertainment and late night refreshment licensing from licensing authorities on an annual basis.
	The Department does not receive any datasets from municipal libraries.

Museums and Galleries

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of visitors to museums in  (a) Lancashire,  (b) the North West and  (c) England in 2009.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer February 2010
	My Department collects figures for visitor numbers for museums we fund either through our grant in aid programme or through our Renaissance in the Regions programme. We have no figures for museums in Lancashire.
	Visits to museums in the North West and England in receipt of grant in aid or Renaissance funding are detailed in the table:
	
		
			  Areas that are funded by DCMS  Museums in receipt of funding through Renaissance in the  r egions January to September 2009  Sponsored museums 2009 
			 North West total visits (1)1,465,046 (2)3,300,000 
			 England total visits 13,833,359 41,100,000 
			 (1) The museums included in the North West are: Manchester Art Gallery, Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Manchester Museum, and Whitworth Art Gallery. (2) Imperial War Musem North, Museum Of Science and Industry, National Museums Liverpoool, Tate Liverpool 
		
	
	Validated data for museums funded by Renaissance is only available up to September 2009. Data for the year will be available in March 2010.

Public Holidays

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has of the cost to his Department of the introduction of an additional public holiday; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Department has made no such estimate.

Sports: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department has taken steps to encourage participation in sport in Torbay constituency in order to reduce levels of obesity; and whether it has made funding available for this purpose in 2009-10.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is primarily focused on increasing sports participation, with Sport England as our key delivery partner. However, this is part of a joint target with the Department of Health to get two million more people more physically active, including one million more people playing more sport. DCMS and Sport England work very closely with the Department for Health across this target and sport will, of course, have a great positive effect on people's health.
	As the non-departmental public body with responsibility for community sport, Sport England's aim is to increase and sustain levels of participation in sport and develop talent to drive standards of elite performance throughout the country. Their funding is distributed as part of the commitment to get one million more people playing more sport by 2012.
	National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) are at the heart of the strategy as it is their networks of community clubs, coaches and volunteers that make sport happen. Sport England is investing £480 million through 46 governing bodies over the next four years and have agreed grow, sustain and excel targets with each one. Each sport has developed a whole sport plan to achieve these targets.
	In addition to the current funding being invested through NGBs, Sport England has invested a total of £776,115 Exchequer funding into Torbay since 2002. This includes a recent investment of £634,615 into the Brixham Amateur Swimming and Life Saving Society in order to modernise the pool. Swim Torquay Limited also received funding of £136,500 in 2008-09 to extend their facilities. Sport England has further invested £317,771 of Lottery funding to various projects throughout Torbay since 2002-03.

Swimming: Concessions

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many free swims  (a) pensioners and  (b) those under the age of 16 years resident in (i) North East Lincolnshire and (ii) North Lincolnshire local authority area have received in each year since his Department's free swimming programmes were introduced.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The number of unique participants in the Free Swimming programme is not collected centrally. Local authorities are responsible for collecting data on the number of free swims that have taken place in their area each month.
	The table shows the total number of free swims that have taken place under the free swimming scheme by people aged 16 years and under and people aged 60 and over in North East Lincolnshire local authority and North Lincolnshire local authority between April 2009, when the scheme began, and September 2009.
	This is not a measure of the total number of individual participants taking part in free swimming, as the Department does not hold these figures.
	
		
			  Local authority  Under 16 swims  Over 60s swims  Total 
			 North East Lincolnshire(1) 0 20,938 20,938 
			 North Lincolnshire 74,961 15,305 90,266 
			 (1 )NE Lincolnshire did not offer free swimming to under 16s.

Television: Licensing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the television licence fee.

Si�n Simon: I regularly receive representations on the level of the licence fee. Multi-annual funding settlements for the BBC help to guarantee the independence of the BBC and Government will continue to respect that principle.

Television: Licensing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether TV Licensing is authorised to undertake surveillance under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; and what powers of entry it has.

Si�n Simon: The interpretation of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 is a matter for TV Licensing.
	TV Licensing officers may enter a person's home or business premises only with his or her consent or if authorised to do so by a warrant issued by a justice of the peace, a sheriff in Scotland, or a lay magistrate in Northern Ireland.
	Under section 366 of the Communications Act 2003, in order to issue such a warrant the presiding judge must be satisfied by information provided on oath, that there are reasonable grounds for believing that an offence of not holding a licence while having installed or using a TV receiver has been or is being committed, that evidence of the commission of the offence is likely to be on the premises, and there is no other practicable way to lawfully gain entry to the premises.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Crime: Halton

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in  (a) overall recorded crime,  (b) recorded violent crime,  (c) burglary and  (d) vehicle thefts in Halton has been between 2000 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: The available information relates to the Halton Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area. Because of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002, data for 2000-01 and 2008-09 are not directly comparable. Percentage changes between 2002-03 and 2008-09 for the requested offences have been given in the table.
	
		
			  Percentage change in selected offences recorded by the police in Halton-2002-03 to 2008-09 
			   Percentage change between 2002-03 and 2008-09 
			 Total recorded crime -7 
			 Violence against the person 39 
			 Burglary -14 
			 Vehicle thefts(1) -37 
			 (1) Includes theft or from a vehicle.

Crimes of Violence: Convictions

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people were convicted of serious violent crime offences in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009;
	(2)  how many people were convicted of overall violent crime offences in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009.

Claire Ward: I have been asked to reply.
	Information showing the number of persons found guilty at all courts in the North East Government Office Region (GOR) and England for offences of violence against the person, by offence, in 2007 and 2008 (latest available) is shown in the table.
	Court proceedings data are not available at parliamentary constituency level. Data are given in the table for the North East GOR in which the Jarrow constituency and South Tyneside are located.
	Data for 2009 are expected to be published in the autumn 2010.
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty at all courts in the North East Government Office Region( 1)  and England for offences of violence against the person, by offence, 2007 and 2008( 2,3) 
			   2007  2008 
			  Violent offences  North East  R egion  England  North East  R egion  England 
			 More serious offences-indictable 225 3,236 202 3,217 
			 Less serious offences-indictable 2,707 35,873 2,578 35,842 
			 Summary offences 2,885 49,931 2,676 49,620 
			 Total indictable and summary offences of violence against the person 5,817 89,040 5,456 88,679 
			 (1) Includes: Cleveland police force area; Durham police force area; Northumbria police force area. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

DNA: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his contribution on Second Reading of the Crime and Security Bill, 18 January 2010,  Official Report, column 35, from which document the facts were drawn on matches drawn from the national DNA database in 2008-09 for cases of rape and manslaughter from people who had been arrested but not convicted of a serious crime.

David Hanson: holding answer 27 January 2010
	These statistics were provided by the National Policing Improvement Agency based on their analysis of data drawn from the Police National Computer by the ACPO Criminal Records Office.

Firearms

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many handguns were held in England and Wales by virtue of firearm certificates in each year since 2004-05.

Alan Johnson: Available data relate to handguns and muzzle-loading handguns possessed on certificate for 2004-05 and 2005-06, and are given in the table. Data on certification are now drawn from the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) and information in this degree of detail is not at present available.
	
		
			  Handguns and muzzle-loading handguns possessed on certificate: England and Wales, 2004-05 to 2007-08 
			   Handguns  Muzzle-loading handguns 
			 2004-05(1) 16,016 7,911 
			 2005-06(2) 16,399 8,728 
			 2006-07(3) n/a n/a 
			 2007-08(4) n/a n/a 
			 n/a denotes figures not available. (1) Information on the firearms breakdown was provided by 37 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. The missing six forces are: Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Staffordshire, Sussex and South Wales. (2) Information on the firearms breakdown was provided by 38 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. The missing five forces are: Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Staffordshire and Sussex. (3) Figures for 2006-07 are not available, due to the transition from in-force data collection systems to the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) in 2006. (4) Figures for 2007/08 are not available, due to the transition from in-force data collection systems to the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) in 2006.

Human Trafficking

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 986-7W, on human trafficking, what estimate he has had made of the number of victims of trafficking for forced labour who have not received accommodation and support since 1 April 2009.

Alan Campbell: All victims of trafficking for forced labour that have been identified since 1 April 2009 have been provided with accommodation or support.

Remand in Custody: Young People

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours young offenders on remand aged under 18 years spent on education, training and personal development in each young offenders institution serving as a remand centre in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	The Youth Justice Board reports the number of hours per week that young people spend undertaking education, training and personal development activities across the secure estate. This is a broad category that includes education provision delivered by learning providers commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council, as well as interventions, group work sessions, vocational training, and physical education classes delivered directly by the Prison Service or institution.
	The YJB have introduced a new set of data items to allow them to monitor the secure estate. Data based on a new and more robust set of indicators are presented here for STCs and SCHs for September 2009. Data using the previous indicator are presented for YOIs. This information is presented in the following tables.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) reports that the average number of hours of OLASS funded learning and skills provision (not including personal development activity) delivered per learner per week in the public sector YOIs in the academic year 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009 was 15.89 hours.
	Data are not broken down to show the number of hours spent on education, training and personal development by young people held on remand but the information from the YJB and the LSC includes young people held on remand.
	The data supplied by the Youth Justice Board are drawn from administrative computer systems. As with any large scale recording system, the data are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.
	
		
			  September 2009 
			   Average number of hours 
			 Average hours of education, training and personal development activity per week for young people at Public youth offenders institutes (YOIs) 25.6 
			 Average hours of education, training and personal development activity per week for young people at Private youth offenders institutes (YOIs) 21.8 
			 Average hours of education received per young person per week at SCHs 23.5 
			 Average hours of education received per young person per week at STCs 25.8

Slough

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to the Slough constituency, the effects on Slough of his Department's policies and actions since 2000.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has introduced a range of policies and initiatives since 2000. The available statistical information relates to the Slough borough.
	In terms of police recorded crime, data prior to 2002-03 is not directly comparable because of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. Between 2002-03 and 2008-09, total recorded crime in Slough fell by 7 per cent. More specifically:
	Violence against the person-up 47 per cent.
	Sexual offences-up 23 per cent.
	Robbery-up 12 per cent.
	Burglary-down 41 per cent.
	Offences against vehicles-down 16 per cent.
	Other theft offences-no change.
	Criminal damage-up 10 per cent.
	Drug offences-up 45 per cent.
	Slough local police area together with the Royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Bracknell Forest form Berkshire East Basic Command Unit (BCU). As at 31 March 2009 the BCU had 633 police officers.
	Comparisons with 2000 for Slough or Berkshire East are not available. There were 90 police community support officers as at 31 March 2009 in the Berkshire East BCU while there were none in existence in 2000.
	The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 saw positive effects with the statutory duty to create a Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP). The CDRP has brought new ways of working in a cross cutting way with the police, Council and other key stakeholders and genuine partnership working to help tackle complex issues.
	Since 2003 Slough has been funded by the Home Office as an 'intensive' Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) area enabling Slough to tackle drug-related offending through a range of' intensive' DIP applications including drug-testing on arrest and Restriction on Bail provisions allowing more offenders to be targeted, steered into treatment and out of a life of crime.
	Slough's DIP budget for 2009-10 is £866,958. The operation of DIP in Slough in 2008-09 saw over 1,500 arrestees being drug-tested and 274 people referred into drug treatment.
	Slough, as part of Thames Valley police force has been involved in the Tackling Knives Action Programme for the previous two years. This has provided additional funding and focus to work with young people and the community to prevent and educate about knife crime and serious youth violence as well as undertake enforcement operations to tackle this type of crime. Slough, as part of Berkshire East, has also received funding and support from the Home Office to tackle domestic and sexual violence. The BCU has received £95,000 to support Independent Domestic Violence Advisors and Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences that support the highest risk victims of domestic violence since 2007-8.
	Before 1997 there were no bespoke powers to tackle antisocial behaviour but there are now a range of powers to deal with this issue. These include antisocial behaviour orders and designated public places orders (DPPO) from the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. Since 2005-06 at least 155 antisocial behaviour contracts have been issued. Numbers of antisocial behaviour orders have not been published since 2006 and were previously published only at force level.
	Slough has benefited from additional funding to tackle antisocial behaviour and improve confidence in its community. In 2009 Slough began operating as a Neighbourhood Crime and Justice pilot area. Key actions have included:
	Producing a new set of ASB Service Standards.
	Overseeing 2226 hours of Community Payback in Slough during October 2009.
	Implementing Community Cashback (assets recovered from criminals). On November 25 a £36,000 cheque from the LCJB (Local Criminal Justice Board) was presented to the Britwell Youth Centre.
	Raising awareness of the policing pledge and the rights the public can expect from police when dealing with crime and ASB.
	Setting up support for ASB victims and witnesses, ensuring they are supported appropriately.
	Publishing all Slough borough council court successes in The Citizen every two months.
	Distributing newsletters for North, South and East Slough.
	There are 80 CCTV cameras installed in the Town Hall, the Town Centre, Farnham Road and other smaller shopping parades, together with some housing estates and leisure sites and are linked to the council's CCTV monitoring centre. CCTV also operate three mobile CCTV cameras, one of which has a built in digital recorder which can be installed across the borough when required.
	Neighbourhood policing has been implemented in Slough since April 2008. Slough borough council has allocated Community Safety Project Officers, Environmental Enforcement Officers and Community Wardens to each of the three police neighbourhood sectors (North, South and East Slough). This means both council and police are properly represented at resident meetings, including Neighbourhood Policing Neighbourhood Action Groups (there is one for each ward).
	Slough has received £250,000 funding and support as part of the Youth Crime Action Plan since 2008. This has focused on the following activities:
	Using child protection legislation to remove young people from the streets at night and take them to a safe place, building on lessons from initiatives such as Operation Staysafe;
	Using street-based teams of workers to tackle groups of young people involved in crime and disorder
	Tackling antisocial behaviour and disorder at school closing time by increasing after-school police patrols where needed.
	Placing youth offending team workers in police custody suites so that young offenders can be assessed and directed to appropriate services at the earliest opportunity;
	Making young offenders feel the consequences of their actions by expanding YOT reparation schemes during their leisure time, including on Friday and Saturday nights;
	Developing Family Intervention Projects to work with the most vulnerable and problematic families with children at risk of offending, with non-negotiable elements and sanctions for a failure to engage;
	Implementation of the 'think family' reforms to provide an integrated and appropriate service response to all families at risk by the end of the funding period.
	Slough has received additional funding through the Migration Impact Fund to support delivery of council services being impacted by increased migration. They have received £490,000 in 2009-10 to deliver three projects:
	Supporting migrant children through dedicated programmes to assess newly-arrived families and supporting hard to reach groups. This also includes rationalising translation and interpreter services and tailored ESOL provision.
	Migrant's Resource Centre focusing on health, education and environmental health, by raising awareness of appropriate access and recruiting community advocates to work with services. Tailored ESOL provision in neighbourhoods on life skills, laws and customs.
	Improving housing conditions in the privately rented sector housing a multi-agency programme to improve standards of houses in multiple occupation.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was collected in fines for benefit fraud  (a) in each region in England and  (b) in Wales in each of the last two years.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	HMCS systems do not identify the value of fines collected for specific offences and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The total value of all financial penalties collected in each of the HMCS regions and Wales for the last two years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			 London 38,252,467 35,497,811 
			 Midlands 49,334,655 47,945,264 
			 North East 35,700,661 33,397,953 
			 North West 35,906,704 34,972,432 
			 South East 52,314,591 52,209,726 
			 South West 28,259,819 27,053,693 
			 Wales 16,348,762 15,442,822

Stop and Search

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2010,  Official Report, column 822W, on stop and search: Greater London, how many  (a) searches and  (b) subsequent actions taken in each year, were carried out on people aged (i) under 10, (ii) under 16 and (iii) between 17 and 25 years.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Information on stops and searches reported to the Home Office does not include the ages of persons searched.

Telecommunications: Databases

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the cost of the Interception Modernisation Programme.

David Hanson: The Government's consultation paper Protecting the Public in a Changing Communications Environment, published in April 2009, outlined high-level initial estimates of the cost of the options considered as part of the Interception Modernisation Programme. These were in the range of up to £2 billion over a 10-year period.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Action for Employment

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of people who have attended A4e meetings as part of programmes delivered under contract to her Department have found work within six months since the inception of those contracts in  (a) England and  (b) Milton Keynes.

Jim Knight: This information is not available in the format requested.

Action for Employment: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who have attended A4e meetings in Milton Keynes as part of programmes delivered under contract to her Department have found work within six months since the inception of those contracts.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested.

Departmental Aviation

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many domestic flights within Great Britain officials of her Department took in an official capacity in 2008-09; and at what cost to the public purse.

Jim Knight: 25,860 domestic flights were taken by Department for Work and Pensions staff, of whom there are some 111,000 throughout Great Britain, during 2008-09 at a total cost of £2.97 million. This has fallen from £4 million in 2004-05.
	All official travel within the Department is carried out in accordance with the requirements of both the Civil Service Management Code
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/documents/doc/CSMC_April08.doc
	and departmental business travel policy.
	The Department's business travel policy promotes sustainable travel and air travel is the least preferred method of travel. Departmental policy is that staff should always consider travelling by rail rather than air and must take into account the full trip time (including travelling to and from the airport, checking time etc.), sustainability impact, business needs, convenience and cost when making this decision.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what efficiency savings projects  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies put in place under the Operational Efficiency programme; on what date each such project was initiated; how much each such project was expected to contribute to departmental savings; how much had been saved through each such project on the latest date for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department has been making substantial efficiencies in its back-office operations throughout the last two Spending Review periods, and was used as an exemplar in the Budget 2009 Operational Efficiency programme (OEP) report. Hence, many of the recommendations of the report were already underway in DWP prior to the report's publication.
	Within the Department's business as usual operating model are the following activities, all sanctioned by OEP:
	All new procurement is conducted collaboratively;
	Driving value for money in all new IT contracts, under our future contracting strategy;
	Proactively managing internal demand for IT resources;
	Benchmarking of property and IT resources; and
	Centralisation of back-office functions-with major savings through our shared services organisation, but smaller achievements also demonstrated in other corporate functions.
	The Department will continue to report on its efficiency and value for money achievements in its departmental report and other publications. For example, we reported in our 2009 autumn performance report that we had delivered £581 million of efficiency savings during 2008-09 alone.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in her Department and each of its agencies; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available.

Jonathan R Shaw: There are nine layers of management in the Department for Work and Pensions. The following table gives a headcount breakdown of the number of people in each management grade at 31 March 2009.
	
		
			  Grade  Jobcentre Plus  Pensions and Disability Centre  Corporate and Shared Services  Total 
			 Permanent Secretary 0 0 1 1 
			 Director General 0 1 7 8 
			 Director 11 6 40 57 
			 Deputy Director 34 18 156 208 
			 Grade 6 135 60 378 573 
			 Grade 7 341 113 1,006 1,460 
			 Senior Executive Officer 1,092 326 1,199 2,617 
			 Higher Executive Officer 4,083 691 2,275 7,049 
			 Executive Officer 29,580 5,106 3,340 38,026 
			 Total 35,276 6,321 8,402 49,999 
		
	
	It is not possible to split staff and associated costs down further by grade as information is not readily available at the level of detail requested, neither is this possible for associated costs of employment. The costs of providing such information would be disproportionate.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employees in  (a) her Department and  (b) each of its agencies are in transition prior to being managed out; how long on average the transition window between notification and exit has been in (i) her Department and (ii) each of its agencies in each of the last five years; what estimate she has made of the salary costs of staff in transition in each such year; and what proportion of employees in transition were classed as being so for more than six months in each year.

Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions has no staff in transition prior to being managed out.

Departmental Publicity

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department has spent on  (a) ministerial photoshoots and  (b) production of videos in which Ministers appear in the last three years for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Information on the use of external resources to conduct  (a) ministerial photoshoots and  (b) production of videos in which Ministers appear is detailed in the following tables and is set out as total costs by financial year and is exclusive of VAT.
	
		
			  (a) Ministerial photo shoots 
			   £ 
			 2007 Nil 
			 2008 906.82 
			 2009 1,000.00 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Production of videos in which Ministers appear( 1) 
			   £ 
			 2007 97,977.96 
			 2008 16,100.00 
			 2009 2,621.50 
			 (1) This also includes some reproduction and distribution costs where it has not been possible to separate them out. 
		
	
	These photos and videos were used to promote pension credit, local employment partnerships and integrated employment and skills.
	The higher cost of video production in 2007 can mainly be attributed to the making of a film to promote the benefits of local employment partnerships to employers. Filming was extensive and included interviews with a wide range of employers from across the country.

Departmental Telephone Services

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost was of calls made to her Department's 0845 telephone number from  (a) land lines and  (b) mobile telephone networks in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is not possible to give an average cost of a call to the Department's 0845 numbers.
	The cost of calls to the Departments 0845 numbers will vary according to each service provider, who will determine their own costs. BT landlines charge the lowest tariff and 70 per cent. of DWP callers do so from a BT landline. BT provide free 0845 calls if the call is made within the individual caller's call plan.
	Cost of calls to 0845 numbers from mobile phones will vary according to which mobile operator a customer uses. Although we can identify if a caller is using a mobile phone, the Department is unable to identify which mobile operator a caller is using.

Disability Living Allowance: Appeals

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time was between the submission of an appeal against the refusal of an application for disability living allowance and the subsequent hearing in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested is not available.

Employment Schemes

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps she has taken to ensure that claimants of  (a) unemployment benefit and  (b) jobseeker's allowance are able to take up employment opportunities for (i) full-time work and (ii) work for under 30 hours per week.

Jim Knight: Jobseeker's allowance was introduced in October 1996 and replaced unemployment benefit as the benefit for unemployed people.
	Jobseeker's allowance claimants must be available for and actively seeking work as a condition of their benefit, and Jobcentre Plus provides a wealth of support to help people back into work, including help with jobsearch techniques, basic skills and work-focussed training.
	There are also a series of measures in place to help jobseekers in the transition from benefits into work, whether that work is full or part time.
	For example, jobseekers can also claim working tax credits, which provide financial support to people who are working and on a low income. This support aims to boost work incentives by topping up the wages of people on lower pay, according to their family circumstances. This includes providing direct help with the cost of child care for working families.
	Jobseekers may also qualify for a Job Grant, a non-taxable, discretionary, work related payment which aims to bridge the gap between a customer's final payment of benefit and first receipt of wages. To qualify for this, a customer must have been in receipt of a qualifying benefit for 26 weeks immediately prior to starting work of at least 16 hours per week. Awards are £100 for single customers or couples without children and £250 for lone parents or couples with children.
	In addition, jobseekers can have their housing benefit extended to cover the first four weeks they are in work, providing they have previously been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance or other income related benefits for at least 26 weeks immediately before entering work. A similar scheme, with similar rules, exists to support homeowners back into employment. The Mortgage Interest Run-On provides an additional four weeks' payment of mortgage interest costs after a customer enters work.
	We know that the vast majority of people are better off in work. However, we understand that some jobseekers still find the transition into work difficult, and in the December White Paper Building Britain's Recovery: Achieving Full Employment, the Government further announced that we will introduce an enhanced Better off in Work Credit that will ensure that everyone who has been unemployed for 26 weeks or more will receive at least £40 a week more income on moving into work. The new credit will be introduced in one region from October 2010 and we expect the credit will be available nationally from January 2011.
	In addition, lone parents in receipt of jobseeker's allowance may be eligible for the In Work Credit which is paid at £60 a week in London and £40 a week in other parts of the country. Customers who return to work from incapacity benefits may be eligible for the Return to Work Credit which is paid at £40 a week. Both credits are available to these customers when they start work for 16 hours a week, with payments lasting for 52 weeks.

Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget of the Ethnic Minority Task Force was in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: This question falls under my responsibility, as Chair of the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force. This Task Force does not have a specific budget and while Secretariat support is provided by the Department for Work and Pensions, this is delivered by the Ethnic Minority Employment policy team.

Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people the Ethnic Minority Task Force has helped into work in each sector of employment since its formation.

Jim Knight: This question falls under my responsibility, as Chair of the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force. The Task Force's aim is to close the ethnic minority employment gap, and in pursuing this aim the Task Force seeks to influence cross Government policies, so that issues and barriers which lead to the gap are identified and tackled. It does not deliver employment programmes directly. As such it is not possible to say how many people the Task Force itself has helped into work.

Incapacity Benefit

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants there are in each  (a) county,  (b) metropolitan authority,  (c) London borough and  (d) unitary authority in England.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed incapacity benefit in each year since 1997; and how many such claimants  (a) reached retirement age and  (b) died in each such year.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) on 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 166W.

Jobseeker's Allowance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the entitlement to employment rights will be of jobseeker's allowance claimants participating in the work for your benefit pilots; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 25 January 2010
	 Work for Your Benefit is a pilot programme primarily for customers who have been unemployed for more than two years. The programme consists of a work experience placement and other training and support which will be tailored to the individual. The programme is designed to help participants gain skills and experience which will be of value to them as they move towards work.
	The programme does not provide jobs. It provides unpaid work experience placements and participants will continue to receive jobseeker's allowance. Participants are not employed, and there will be no contract of employment between host organisations and participants.
	Safeguards will however, be in place to ensure that Work for Your Benefit participants are properly treated. Participants will have the right to work in a healthy and safe working environment, and of course host organisations and providers will have to comply with all relevant legislation under the Disability Discrimination Act.
	Work for Your Benefit participants will not be required to participate for more than 40 hours per week, and some for less than this, if for example they have caring responsibilities or have a health condition. Participants will be able to take time off during the placement, and will be given all appropriate training to allow them to make the most of their placement.
	In addition, all suppliers will have in place a complaints mechanism through which customers will be able to raise concerns about their work experience placement, and ultimately can contact Jobcentre Plus if they have concerns over the support they are receiving.

Pension Credit: Overpayments

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason her Department's estimate of the proportion of pension credit benefit expenditure overpayments rose in each year since 2007; and what steps she plans to take to  (a) improve levels of accuracy in forecasting such over expenditure and  (b) reduce the number of overpayments of pension credit.

Angela Eagle: The proportion of Pension Credit benefit expenditure overpayments has fallen since 2006-07 from 5.3 per cent to 5.1 per cent. The available information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimated Pension Credit overpayments since 2006-07 
			   Fraud and Error (%) 
			 2006-07 5.3 
			 2007-08 5.1 
			 2008-09 5.1 
			  Note:  Percentage figures refer to an estimate of the percentage of benefit overpaid during the time period. 
		
	
	The Department does not produce projections for the amount it expects to lose as a result of fraud and error. However, the Department does have a departmental strategic objective to reduce overpayments as a result of fraud, official error and customer error to 1.8 per cent. of total benefit expenditure by March 2011.
	We have a comprehensive strategy to reduce fraud and error across the benefits system, including initiatives for pension credit. These include addressing the most common errors through staff training, strengthening the checks that are undertaken before claims are put into payment, and matching our pension credit data against data from other Government and external sources to identify potential overpayments.

Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the cost to the Exchequer in  (a) public sector pensions,  (b) uprating the guaranteed minimum pension of private sector pensions and  (c ) other occupational pension costs of a 2.5 per cent. increase in 2010-11 in (i) additional pension, (ii) increments to basic pension, (iii) increments to additional pension, (iv) increments to graduated retirement benefit, (v) increments to the inheritable lump sum, (vi) contracted-out deduction from additional pension in respect of pre-April 1988 contracted-out earnings, (vii) contracted-out deduction from additional pension in respect of contracted-out earnings from April 1988 to 1997, (viii) graduated retirement benefit, (ix) increase of long term incapacity for age, (x) basic pension addition at age of 80 years, (xi) increase of long-term incapacity for age and (xii) invalidity allowance (transitional) for state pension recipients.

Angela Eagle: The total cost to the Exchequer in  (a) public sector pensions, of uprating Additional Pension components by 2.5 per cent. is approximately £0.7 billion in 2010-11. More detailed information is not available.
	Parts  (b) and  (c) of this question do not result in any costs to the Exchequer.

Social Security Benefits: Payments

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit payments were delayed in each month of 2009; what the monetary value of such payments was in each such month; and for what reasons a benefit payment may be delayed.

Jim Knight: Information on the number and value of delayed benefit payments is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Delay in making a payment of benefit may be the result of any number of factors including, but not limited to, customers not providing necessary evidence, volumes of work, delays in the banking or postal system, and simple error or oversight. The Department and its Executive agencies, Jobcentre Plus and the Pension, Disability and Carers Service, are committed to providing the best possible customer service and do their utmost to ensure that any delays caused by factors within their control are kept to a minimum.

Unemployment: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps she has taken to reduce unemployment in Leeds West constituency amongst young people since 2001; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps she has taken to reduce levels of long-term unemployment in Leeds West constituency since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: As part of the Government's commitment to support people into work, £5 billion has been made available across the UK since November 2008 to offer extra support to jobseekers to help them find work at all stages of their claim.
	The Department has quadrupled the available funding for the rapid response service, which provides advice and support to customers facing redundancy. Also, we launched an enhanced offer to all jobseekers at day one of their claim which includes targeted group sessions in jobsearch techniques, access to local employment partnership vacancies and access to help with the costs of getting back to work through the adviser discretionary fund.
	At the six-month point in a claim, all jobseekers now have access to a substantial package of extra support including recruitment subsidies, work-focused training places, volunteering opportunities and support to become self-employed.
	In addition, 18-24 year olds in Leeds West who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance for six months or more have access to the new deal for young people, and customers aged 25 and over who have been unemployed for 18 months continuously or for 18 out of the last 21 months or more have access to the New Deal 25 Plus programme.
	The new flexible new deal and supporting interventions, which build on the success of the New Deal programmes, will be introduced in Leeds West from April 2010.
	The Government have also targeted significant new resource on young people in recognition of the particular challenges young people face during a recession. These measures are designed to prevent, wherever possible, young people experiencing prolonged spells of unemployment early in their working lives.
	On 29 July 2009, the Government launched a campaign called Backing Young Britain, calling on businesses, charities and government bodies to create more opportunities for young people, such as internships, work experience placements, links to mentors and apprenticeships. Almost 18,000 graduate internships have already become available across the UK and thousands more opportunities will follow early in 2010. Over 470 organisations are supporting the campaign, with numbers growing all the time.
	Furthermore, on 25 January 2010, the Government launched the Young Person's Guarantee, meaning all 18-24 year olds who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance for six months are now guaranteed a job, work placement or work-related skills training.
	Leeds is already benefiting from successful future jobs fund bids from Leeds City council and Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Forum Ltd, which will create up to 734 jobs in the Leeds area.
	In addition, we are introducing access to a named personal adviser to all young people from day one of their claim. This will be available to all from April.

Unemployment: North Tyneside

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in North Tyneside whose occupation is registered as electrician or electrical fitter are receiving jobseeker's allowance.

Jim Knight: holding answer 1 February 2010
	As at December 2009, there were 40 people claiming jobseeker's allowance in the North Tyneside parliamentary constituency whose sought occupation was recorded as electrician or electrical fitter.
	 Source:
	100 per cent. count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems.

Unemployment: Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what expenditure her Department has incurred on advertising the Backing Young Britain campaign in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: Backing Young Britain is a cross-Government campaign targeted at business, public sector organisations and the voluntary sector. It aims to encourage organisations of all sizes to provide more opportunities for young people aged 16-24.
	The advertising costs incurred to date in the last 12 months on Backing Young Britain are £98,000.

Work Capability Assessment: Complaints

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been made to her Department on a work capability assessment since the introduction of the employment and support allowance.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on the number of complaints received by the Department specifically about the Work Capability Assessment element of Employment and Support Allowance is not available.
	In the Quarter September 2009 to November 2009 Atos Healthcare received a total of 702 complaints from Employment Support Allowance claimants who were referred for a medical assessment.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to answer question 300567, on departmental pay, tabled on 18 November 2009.

Jim Knight: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 353-54W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Energy Performance Certificates

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of commercial buildings  (a) built,  (b) rented and  (c) sold without the required energy performance certificate in each local authority area since 1 October 2008; and how many penalties have been issued in respect of each such area in that period.

John Healey: No information is collected centrally about the number of commercial buildings that are sold, rented out or constructed or the number of fixed penalty notices that are issued for failure to provide an energy performance certificate (EPC) in such cases. It is not therefore possible to say how many such buildings were sold, rented out or constructed without an EPC during that period.

Home Information Packs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will list the members of his Department's working group on condition information in the home buying and selling process; how many times the working group has met to date; and what the timetable is for it to report.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 6 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 240-41W, which dealt with the membership of the Working Group on Condition Information in the Home Buying and Selling Process. The Working Group met six times between March and October 2009. The group has now submitted its final report to the Department and we are looking carefully at the recommendations.

Homelessness

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of people in each region who are homeless but who are not included in local authority homelessness statistics; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: Beyond the information that CLG collects and publishes on local housing authorities' activities under homelessness legislation, the Department has figures on counts of people found sleeping rough. Rough sleeping street count figures, collected from local authorities, are published at a local, regional and national level. In 1998 there were estimated to be 1,850 rough sleepers in England. Since then good progress has been made in reducing the total number of rough sleepers to 464 in street counts in 2009. The 2009 total street count figures are shown in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Total street counts, by region, 2009 
			   Number 
			 North East 5 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 34 
			 East Midlands 29 
			 East of England 6 
			 London 15 
			 South East 31 
			 South West 265 
			 West Midlands 34 
			 North West 45 
			 England 464 
		
	
	The Department also has data on Supporting People (SP) clients whose predominant need for housing related support was associated with homelessness when they first accessed a SP service. There are three primary client group categories whose predominant need is associated with homelessness: 'Single homeless', 'Rough sleeper' and 'Homeless families with support needs'.
	Data are collected on primary 'client group' categories every time a client accesses housing related support services funded by the Supporting People programme. Figures for the number of clients accessing a SP service at any point in time are not available, but information by region on the number of clients in these client groups who accessed housing related support services during the period 1st April 2008 to 31 March 2009 are available from the Centre for Housing Research at University of St Andrew's Supporting People client record website:
	http://www.spclientrecord.org.uk/
	Data are collected on a client group every time they enter a housing related support service, so it could be that clients access different services over the course of a year and appear more than once in the Supporting People data. We are unable to say how many of these clients may potentially be included in the information on local housing authorities' activities under homelessness legislation.

Homelessness

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many complaints have been received by the local government ombudsman on the administration of services for those who are  (a) intentionally homeless and  (b) sleeping rough in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: The number of complaints involving aspects of intentional homelessness received by the local government ombudsman for the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			   Complaints 
			 2006-07 9 
			 2007-08 12 
			 2008-09 7 
		
	
	Data on the number of complaints received by the local government ombudsman on rough sleeping is not available.

Homes and Communities Agency and Tenant Services Authority: Loans

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) the Homes and Communities Agency and  (b) the Tenant Services Authority paid in loans to employees in each of the last three years; and how many such loans were made.

John Healey: From 1 December 2008, the Homes and Communities Agency paid out 93 loans totalling £180,429.03. The TSA paid out 68 loans the total of which was £160,927.
	As neither agency existed prior to 1 December 2008 no figures are available for the period before that time.

Housing Corporation and English Partnerships: Redundancy Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which  (a) board members and  (b) directors employed by (i) the Housing Corporation and (ii) English Partnerships received payments due to the closure of the organisations following the coming into effect of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008; how much was paid; and how much each board member received.

John Healey: In respect of the Housing Corporation, no termination payments were made to any of the chief executive, senior managements or board members. Neither were termination payments made to the board members of English Partnerships.
	Termination payments were made to the chief executive and two directors of English Partnerships. These were set out in its Financial Statements 2008-09.

Housing: Construction

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of each substantive response to his Department's review into the development on garden land.

Ian Austin: 127 responses were received from local authorities to the review of evidence into development on garden land. A copy of each response was placed in the Library of the House on 19 January 2010.

Housing: Parking

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will commission research into the proportion of domestic garages used for  (a) parking cars and  (b) storage.

Ian Austin: Local authorities are encouraged by PPS 3 to consider their local circumstances when setting levels of parking for residential development, but it is not a matter for the Government what people choose to keep in their garages.

Housing: Sales

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of first-time buyers purchased a home at a price of under £250,000 in 2009.

Ian Austin: Data are only available for January to November 2009. In this period, the Council of Mortgage Lenders estimates that there were 171,300 loans to first time buyers in the UK. Of these, CLG estimate that 90 per cent. (154,000) were for properties purchased for £250,000 or less.

Local Government Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much non-Housing Revenue Account  (a) debt and  (b) interest was paid by local authorities in each year since 2000; and how much outstanding debt there was in each local authority on 31 December in each such year.

Barbara Follett: Information on non-Housing Revenue Account debt is not held centrally.

Local Government Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) revenue from business rates was redistributed to each local authority and  (b) each local authority received in revenue support grant through the formula grant in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09; and what estimate he has made of such receipts by each local authority in (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11.

Barbara Follett: The amount of  (a) redistributed business rates and  (b) revenue support grant allocated to each authority for each of the years 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 is available from the departmental website.
	The allocations for 2007-08 can be found at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/0708/grants.xls
	The allocations for 2008-09 can be found at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/0809/head0809s.xls
	The allocations for 2009-10 can be found at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/0910/head0910.xls
	The allocations for 2010-11 can be found at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1011/head1011.xls

Local Government Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been granted under the  (a) Working Neighbourhoods Fund,  (b) Neighbourhood Renewal Fund,  (c) Deprived Area Fund,  (d) Local Enterprise Growth Initiative,  (e) New Deal for Communities,  (f) Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders,  (g) New Communities Fund,  (h) European Regional Development Fund,  (i) Inspiring Communities Grant,  (j) Connecting Communities Programme,  (k) Single Regeneration Budget and  (l) Land and Property Programme to each local authority in each year since 2000.

Barbara Follett: The data requested are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost

Planning Permission

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons his Department decided not to accept the recommendation of respondees to the consultation on the Draft Regulations on Infrastructure Planning (Decisions) 2010 that decision-makers should have regard to the pre-application consultation and the consultation report.

John Healey: The pre-application consultation report must be submitted to the IPC as part of the application for an order granting development consent. Section 37(3)(c) of the Planning Act 2008 refers. Therefore, the IPC will have the report before them when considering an application.

Recreation Spaces

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's report of 18 February 2008, on Trees in Towns II, what assessment he has made of the average cost to his Department of planting a tree as part of a municipal tree planting programme; and whether his Department plans to commission follow-up research.

Ian Austin: Trees in Towns II did not assess the cost of planting trees. The planting of trees is a matter for each local and highway authority. There are no plans to commission follow-up research.

Regional Planning and Development: South East

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1139W, on regional planning and development: South East, what the status of the South East Regional Spatial Strategy is; and whether there are plans to  (a) revise the Strategy and  (b) undertake further environmental assessments.

Ian Austin: The South East Regional Spatial Strategy, published in May 2009, is part of the development plan under section 38 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 with the exception of Policy H2(i) which was quashed by the High Court.
	There are a number of outstanding legal challenges to the specific elements of the South East Regional Spatial Strategy which relate to the adequacy of the strategic environmental assessment that was undertaken and we are currently in legal negotiations with those who have challenged it. Pending the conclusion of these negotiations, we will consider the way forward including the strategic environmental assessment.

Sleeping Rough: Ex-servicemen

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of ex-service personnel in the number of street homeless people in England.

Ian Austin: The annual headline figure for rough sleeping, based on local authority street counts, does not include information such as whether a rough sleeper is a former member of the armed forces. However, there is specific data for London provided under the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) recording system.
	Rough sleeping among ex-armed forces personnel has dropped and earlier surveys found that around a quarter had been in the armed services at some stage and in 2002 this figure was 14 per cent. Better accommodation advice for those leaving the armed forces and closer working between Government and the charitable sector, including provision of supported housing ventures, has helped reduce the numbers. As a result, in 2008-09, for those rough sleepers in London contacted by services 5 per cent. of rough sleepers were ex-service personnel.

Urban Development Corporations

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press release of 14 January 2010 on urban development corporations, whether any changes are to be made to levels of regeneration funding as a consequence of the merger or closure of the Development Corporations; whether he expects any staff to be made redundant; and what estimate he has made of the gross monetary value of the savings from such changes.

Ian Austin: In consequence of the outcome of the Quinquennial Review no changes to funding in the current or next financial year are being made, while funding for subsequent years will be decided in the next spending review. We do not expect the urban development corporations to make any redundancies as a result of the review.
	All three development corporations are already participating in the Government's operational efficiency programme, which could yield cumulative savings across their operating costs of £8 million in the period to 2013-14. Increased joint working, delivery and shared services with partners in west Northamptonshire should achieve additional cumulative savings of at least £1 million by 2013-14. Further savings will arise in due course from the transfer of Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation to the HCA but it is too early to estimate what these will be as it will depend upon when, for example, operating systems can be harmonised.

Waste Management: Planning Permission

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications for waste treatment plants have been granted in each of the last three months.

Ian Austin: The most recent statistics available are for the period July-September 2009. During this time, waste planning authorities granted permission for 89 major and 128 minor waste applications. We do not hold information on the number of permissions granted on a month-by-month basis.

TREASURY

Debts: Developing Countries

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with his G8 counterparts to discuss progress towards reducing the debts of developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Government have regular conversations with their G8 partners on a range of subjects: including development. Good progress is being made to deliver debt relief to the world's poorest countries through the internationally agreed heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative and the multilateral debt relief initiative (MDRI). 35 out of 40 eligible countries are now receiving debt relief worth $117 billion, freeing up resources for poverty reduction. Of these, 28 have completed the HIPC initiative and received irrevocable debt cancellation, including Haiti, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Republic of Congo and Burundi in the past year.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) associated non-departmental public bodies plan to sign up to the 10:10 campaign for cutting carbon usage in 2010; and if he will publish the (i) criteria and (ii) research upon which such a decision will be taken.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury Group and other Chancellor's Departments are committed to seeking year-on-year improvements in their environmental performance. HM Treasury was the first central Government Department to receive the Carbon Trust's 'Carbon Standard' for all operations, including official transport, in March 2009. HM Treasury has recently been rated the best performing department in Whitehall by the independent Sustainable Development Commission.
	In 2009 the Chancellor of the Exchequer asked each of his departments to consider what more they would be able to do to achieve the minimum standards proposed by the 10:10 campaign, where possible aiming for a 10 per cent. reduction in carbon emissions in 2010.
	Details of performance against a range of environmental indicators, including carbon emissions, are published by the Treasury Group and other Chancellor's departments in their annual reports.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change also publishes progress against carbon reduction targets for all Government Departments on its website at:
	www.decc.gov.uk

Departmental Contracts

John Leech: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs formerly undertaken by staff of his Department have been outsourced to external companies in each of the last five years; and to which companies.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury has outsourced in total forty-two posts in the last five years. In 2005 three were transferred to Logica CMG for provision of payroll services. In December 2009 thirty-nine posts were transferred to the Fujitsu Group, thirty-six of which had staff in post at the time.

National Income

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what headline workplace-based gross value was added per head at current basic prices in each NUTS 1 region in each year since 2005; and what the percentage change was from each year to the next.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 28 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning headline workplace-based gross value added per head at current basic prices in each NUTS1 region in each year since 2005; and what the percentage change was from each year to the next (313759).
	The latest year for which NUTS1 data are available is 2008. Headline gross value added (GVA) per head figures for each NUTS1 region, calculated on a workplace basis are shown in annex A for the years 2005 to 2008. Data on GVA per head percentage changes for each NUTS1 region can be found in annex B.
	
		
			  Annex A: GVA per head 
			  £ per head 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 North East 14,200 14,851 15,460 15,887 
			 North West 15,596 16,245 16,967 17,555 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 15,416 15,994 16,670 17,096 
			 East Midlands 16,158 16,868 17,614 18,041 
			 West Midlands 15,671 16,306 17,044 17,463 
			 East of England 17,249 18,160 19,083 19,473 
			 London 29,846 31,674 33,694 34,786 
			 South East 19,475 20,360 21,248 21,688 
			 South West 16,679 17,473 18,235 18,782 
			 Wales 13,717 14,228 14,853 15,237 
			 Scotland 17,262 18,266 19,267 20,086 
			 Northern Ireland 14,547 15,200 15,854 16,188 
			  
			 United Kingdom 18,537 19,495 20,430 21,147 
			 United Kingdom less extra-regio 18,122 19,011 19,951 20,520 
			  Source: Table 1.1, Regional GVA, ONS, available on the National Statistics website athttp://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/NUTS1.xls 
		
	
	
		
			  Annex B: Percentage changes in GVA per head 
			  Percentage 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East 4.6 4.1 2.8 
			 North West 4.2 4.4 3.5 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3.7 4.2 2.6 
			 East Midlands 4.4 4.4 2.4 
			 West Midlands 4.1 4.5 2.5 
			 East of England 5.3 5.1 2.0 
			 London 6.1 6.4 3.2 
			 South East 4.5 4.4 2.1 
			 South West 4.8 4.4 3.0 
			 Wales 3.7 4.4 2.6 
			 Scotland 5.8 5.5 4.3 
			 Northern Ireland 4.5 4.3 2.1 
			 
			 United Kingdom 5.2 4.8 3.5 
			 United Kingdom less extra-regio 4.9 4.9 2.9 
			  Source: Table 1.1, Regional GVA, ONS, available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/NUTS1.xls

National Insurance Contributions: Young People

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much national insurance was paid by 16 and 17 year-olds resident in Scotland between 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2009; and what percentage of national insurance raised in Scotland this represents.

Stephen Timms: The latest available national insurance contribution data are for 2007-08. Employee and employer class 1 contributions for 16 and 17-year-olds in Scotland between 6 April 2007 and 5 April 2008 are estimated to be around £5 million. estimates for class 2, 3 and 4 are not available.
	The total national insurance contributed by Scotland is estimated to be around £7.7 billion.

Non-domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what types of property are on the National Rating List for business rates; and what criteria are used in their designation.

Ian Pearson: The Central Rating Lists contain network properties such as the gas networks and the water supply companies, these hereditaments cover large areas and numerous administrative boundaries.
	Under s.53 Local Government Finance Act 1988 the Secretary of State and National Assembly for Wales designate which persons and what types of their property shall appear in the Central Lists. They will have regard to all relevant matters which may include the nature, use, size and geographical spread of the property when considering whether to designate a person on the central rating list.

Non-domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will direct the Chief Executive of the Valuation Office Agency to meet representatives of the petrol retail industry to discuss the 2010 rating revaluation.

Ian Pearson: Senior officials of the Valuation Office Agency have already held a number of meetings with representatives of the petrol retail industry to discuss the approach to the 2010 rating revaluation and the process of dialogue is continuing.

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

Lorely Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many hereditaments there are on the England 2010 rating list  (a) in London with a rateable value below (i) £21,500, (ii) £36,000 and (iii) £43,000 and  (b) outside London with a rateable value below (A) £15,000, (B) £25,000 and (C) £30,000.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 29 January 2010
	 The following data are as at 2 November 2009 and extracted from the information published by the Valuation Office Agency on 18 December 2009.
	
		
			  Rateable value  Rounded to hundreds 
			  London  
			 Below £21,500 183,400 
			 Between £21,500 and £35,999 31,900 
			 Between £36,000 and £42,999 8,700 
			   
			  England (ex. London)  
			 Below £15,000 1,015,400 
			 Between £15,000 and £24,999 149,400 
			 Between £25,000 and £29,999 41,800

Northern Ireland

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of hours  (a) he and  (b) his predecessor spent in Northern Ireland on official visits since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers' official duties entail visits throughout the United Kingdom.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sources of individual income are subject to withholding requirements.

Stephen Timms: The following sources of income may be subject to withholding and the withheld amount may be claimed by an individual in their self-assessment tax return as an off-set against their tax bill.
	Investment income (interest from banks, building societies, unit trusts, securities etc. and dividends);
	Certain state benefits (state pension lump sums and incapacity benefit);
	Occupational pensions and retirement annuities;
	Some life insurance policy gains;
	Income from share schemes;
	Employment income (including some lump sums and compensation payments);
	Certain types of trading income, (including payments under the Construction Industry Scheme);
	Property income (in some circumstances); and
	Income from trusts, estates and income chargeable on settlers.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to page 9 of HM Revenue and Customs Resource Accounts 2008-09, HC (2008-09) 464, for what reason 4.5 million Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) cases will require clerical intervention under the National Insurance and PAYE Service's new PAYE system.

Stephen Timms: The National Insurance and PAYE Service brings together all of an individual's PAYE details (including employments, pensions and tax deducted) into one single record and currently holds approximately 44 million individual customer records. Clerical action is required by HM Revenue and Customs staff when expected details of pay and tax (from form P14) and/or expenses and benefits (from form P11d) have not been received by an employer or pension provider.

Smuggling: Fuel Oil

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicles were seized in Northern Ireland consequent on their use for cross-border fuel smuggling in each of the last three years; what the monetary value was of the fuel seized from those vehicles; how many arrests were made in connection with those seizures; and how many convictions there were as a result of those arrests.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The specific information as requested is not available. The following numbers of vehicles were seized in Northern Ireland for all types of hydrocarbon oil offences; however, it is not possible to identify the number of seizures related to cross-border smuggling:
	
		
			   Vehicles seized 
			 2008-09 482 
			 2007-08 844 
			 2006-07 1,199 
		
	
	The following quantities of fuel were seized in Northern Ireland, this covers all types of fuel therefore it is not possible to place a monetary value on the quantity of fuel seized:
	
		
			   Million litres 
			 2008-09 1.09 
			 2007-08 0.82 
			 2006-07 0.84 
		
	
	Details of the numbers of arrests relating to these seizures is not available. The number of convictions in Northern Ireland for all types of hydrocarbon oils offences are as follows :
	
		
			   Number 
			 2008-09 10 
			 2007-08 3 
			 2006-07 4

Smuggling: Fuel Oil

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what percentage of detections of fuel smuggling in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) England and Wales were made by (i) the police and (ii) HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many vehicles in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) England and Wales were found to be running on red diesel illegally in each of the last three years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not keep a central record of fuel smuggling detections made by other agencies and therefore cannot estimate the percentage of detections made by the police.
	The numbers of vehicles containing illicit fuels that were detected in the last three years HMRC are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Northern Ireland  England and Wales 
			 2006-07 1,190 2,683 
			 2007-08 1,158 2,758 
			 2008-09 485 3,117 
		
	
	These figures include those vehicles found to be running illegally on red diesel, but HMRC does not maintain any central record of detections solely of red diesel.

Tax Allowances: Pensions

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has made an estimate of the number of  (a) public and  (b) private sector employees likely to be affected by the changes to tax relief on pension contributions to take effect in 2011; and whether he has made an assessment of the likely effects on the competitiveness of UK businesses of the implementation of those proposals;
	(2)  whether he has made an assessment of the  (a) number of people affected by the changes to tax relief on pension contributions to take effect in 2011 likely to remain in company pension schemes and  (b) likely effects on company pension provision of the implementation of those proposals;
	(3)  what the marginal tax rate would be on the pensions savings of those affected by the changes to tax relief on pension contributions to take effect in 2011;
	(4)  whether his Department holds information for benchmarking purposes on the tax arrangements of other countries in respect of company pension contributions.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the consultation document 'Implementing the restriction of pensions tax relief' which was published on 9 December 2009 and which contains the information for which he has asked. A copy of the consultation document can be found on the HMT website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr09_consult_pensions.pdf
	Table 1 of the Impact Assessment in the document (Annex E) sets out the total number of people likely to be affected by the changes and likely to remain in company pension schemes.

Taxation: Aviation

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Government made of using maximum take-off weight as a basis for the proposed per plane tax which was rejected in November 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government considered the use of maximum take-off weight as part of the consultation to reform air passenger duty in January 2008, available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/consult_aviation310108.pdf
	The Government's response to the consultation, published in November 2008, is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr08_aviationduty_395.pdf

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 765W, on furnished holiday lettings, if he will make an estimate of the number of furnished holiday lettings owned by  (a) UK residents and  (b) residents of other EU member states in (i) North Yorkshire and (ii) England.

Stephen Timms: There are an estimated 75,000 furnished holiday lettings properties. Of these, around 62,000 are owned by individuals with a correspondence address in England and around 6,000 are owned by individuals in Yorkshire and Humberside. HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) administrative systems do not have information on the location of the properties themselves. Non-UK residents are not eligible to claim tax relief under the furnished holiday lettings rules.

VAT: Alcoholic Drinks

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has issued rebates of value added tax to supermarkets in relation to loss-leading marketing promotions of alcohol products in the last five years.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 25 January 2010
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and management of value added tax.
	Supermarkets are subject to the same VAT rules as other businesses. They are required to account for VAT on payments received for their positive-rated sales, including alcohol products, and are able to recover VAT paid on purchases for their business, including products for re-sale.
	The VAT returns rendered to HMRC by supermarkets and other businesses do not distinguish payments or recovery of VAT on alcohol products from those on other sales.

VAT: Memorials

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the amount of value added tax on memorials to children  (a) levied in each of the last five financial years and  (b) expected to be levied in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy not to levy value added tax on the purchase and erection of memorials for children; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available, as HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT collected from individual categories of goods and services.
	Under our agreements with our European partners, we are not able to extend our existing zero rates or introduce new exemptions from VAT.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government Equalities Office has spent on  (a) print,  (b) online,  (c) television and  (d) radio advertising in each year since it was established; and what percentage of advertising expenditure in each such year was managed by the Central Office of Information.

Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007. For the financial year 2007-08 there was no expenditure on advertising. In 2008-09 the GEO spent £26,776.43 on advertising. All of this was related to print and associated on-line newspaper advertising. In 2009-10 to date GEO' has spent £63,345 on advertising all of which was print related and mainly covered recruitment to the Boards of GEO's NDPBs. None of the detailed expenditure was managed by the Central Office of Information.

Departmental Billing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what estimate she has made of the average length of time taken by  (a) the Government Equalities Office and  (b) its agencies to pay invoices from (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) all creditors in the last 12 months.

Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office continues to meet its target of paying over 90 per cent. of all trade creditors including small and medium-sized enterprises within 10-working days of receipt of a valid invoice.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government Equalities Office spent on  (a) new furnishings,  (b) works of art and  (c) new vehicles in each year since its inception.

Michael Jabez Foster: Since it's creation on 12 October 2007, the Government Equalities Office has not spent any money on new furnishings, works of art or new vehicles.

Equality Bill 2008-09: Equality Bill 2009-10

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether guidance has been prepared for those organisations which would have duties under the provisions proposed in the Equality Bill.

Michael Jabez Foster: Clear, practical guidance on the Equality Bill will help people to understand their rights and responsibilities under the Bill. Better understanding should improve compliance and ensure people can assert their rights.
	The Equality and Human Rights Commission has statutory responsibility to produce guidance on all the Equality Bill provisions except the socio-economic duty.
	The Commission published draft guidance on the employment provisions in the Bill for public consultation on 27 January 2010 and will be publishing further draft guidance for consultation shortly.
	The Government will issue guidance for public bodies on the socio-economic duty later this year. It will draw on the principles set out in the guide to the duty we published on 8 January, and will be the subject of consultation with relevant public bodies.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

1 Carlton Gardens

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there are plans to sell 1 Carlton Gardens.

Chris Bryant: No.

Afghanistan: Corruption

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of Afghanistan's GDP attributable to bribery; what steps his Department is taking to counter bribery in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government made no such estimation. However, Afghanistan ranks second to last on Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (before Somalia) and nearly one in every five Afghans experience corruption when trying to access public health care and state electricity supply. Integrity Watch Afghanistan estimate that in some provinces, households on average pay $100 per year in bribes to public officials. This is a lot of money for most households in a country where the average annual income for an Afghan is US$354 and huge inequalities exist between rich and poor.
	At the London Conference on Afghanistan on 28 January 2010 the Government of Afghanistan committed to:
	strengthen the independent High Office of Oversight to investigate and sanction corrupt officials;
	introduce an independent, merit-based civil service appointment and vetting process;
	bring their laws in line with the UN Convention Against Corruption; and
	invite a group of Afghan and international experts to develop clear benchmarks for progress and regularly report against these benchmarks.
	The International Community in return promised to support them in that task.
	Building Afghan institutions that are durable, capable and accountable to their people is key to success in Afghanistan and a key element of the UK mission in Afghanistan. Tackling corruption at all levels is essential to achieving this. The UK has set up a Multi-Agency Task Force (MATF) of experts across the Government to support the Afghan Government's efforts to tackle corruption. The MATF is focused on prevention efforts such as improving public financial management, building Afghan law enforcement so that impunity can end, the strengthening of accountability bodies and opportunities for citizens to hold their government to account.

Belarus: Human Rights

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of  (a) the human rights situation and  (b) progress on democratic reform in Belarus; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: We have significant concerns about human rights in Belarus which we set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's annual Human Rights Report. The Belarusian authorities continue to harass civil society, non-governmental organisations, religious organisations and the independent media. Belarus is the only European country to continue to use the death penalty. However, there have been some small but welcome improvements in the past two years. In particular, we welcome the decision to allow a number of independent newspapers access to state distribution, and to allow European Radio for Belarus to open a correspondents' office for a year. We also welcome the engagement by the Belarusian authorities in the EU's Eastern Partnership, and the EU-Belarus Human Rights Dialogue launched in 2009.
	Progress on democratic reform has also been slow. Belarus has responded to some of the recommendations made by the OSCE/ODIHR Election Monitoring Mission in 2008. This is a positive step, though we are disappointed that an important change-the right of observers to view the ballot papers as they are counted-was not included in the proposed reforms. The conduct of local elections in April 2010 will be an important test of the willingness of the Belarusian authorities to meet international election standards.

Departmental Official Engagements

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to meet the US ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues during her visit to the UK in February.

Ivan Lewis: The UK remains fully committed to the protection and promotion of all human rights, including the rights of women. We work closely with international partners to promote gender equality and women's rights through international organisations; and through our promotion of women's rights bilaterally.
	We are keen to work closely with ambassador Verveer on issues affecting women globally. A decision on who will meet her will be made subject to confirmation of her final travel programme.

Uzbekistan: Cotton

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to prevent imports of  (a) cotton and  (b) clothing which has been produced by child labour in Uzbekistan; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The UK remains concerned about reports of the use of child labour in the cotton sector in Uzbekistan. The UK has raised its concerns with the Uzbek Government and through the EU. Our embassy in Tashkent also remains in regular contact with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on the issue. In order to support the establishment of stronger child labour monitoring systems in Uzbekistan our embassy is funding a project that has delivered informal education and vocational training to children most at risk of child labour in thirteen rural areas.
	The EU welcomed Uzbekistan's signing of the International Labour Organisation Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour and the Minimum Age of Employment in 2008 and 2009 respectively. A National Action Plan was launched in 2008 to ensure implementation of these conventions. We continue to urge Uzbekistan to implement effectively its international obligations in this regard.
	The EU can temporarily withdraw trade preferences provided to developing countries under its Generalised System of Preferences, if there is sufficient evidence of labour rights violations. However, the EU and UK believe the best way to improve labour standards is for governments to work with workers' and employers' groups to improve their ability to comply with, and enforce, labour laws.
	The UK Government continue to call on businesses to look at their supply chains and take appropriate action if they find evidence that goods have been produced using child labour.
	There is no legal requirement for goods to bear marks indicating their origin. As such it would be difficult for the Government to establish a blanket ban on imports of Uzbek cotton and clothing. Similarly, products manufactured using Uzbek cotton in a third country would legitimately bear the country of manufacture as the country of origin.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Climate Change: Finance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the UK's fast-start financing for climate change adaptation will be drawn from his Department's existing budgets.

Gareth Thomas: In 2010-11, around 60-65 per cent. of the UK's fast-start financing for adaptation will come from The Department for International Development's (DFID's) budget.
	The departmental budgets for 2011-12 and 2012-13 have not yet been decided.
	The UK remains committed to providing additional post 2012 financing on top of the 0.7 per cent. official development assistance (ODA) commitment and to limiting the share of our ODA for climate change to no more than 10 per cent.

Departmental Billing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken by his Department to pay invoices from  (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and  (b) all creditors in the last 12 months.

Michael Foster: The Prime Minister announced in October 2008 that all central Government Departments will aim to pay invoices within ten days. The Department for International Development (DFID) commenced reporting of ten day payment performance in November 2008. In December 2009 DFID reported 96.03 per cent. of invoices were paid within ten days. DFID does not separately capture payment information by small or medium-sized enterprises.

Haiti: Earthquakes

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is providing to ensure that cholera does not break out in camps for displaced persons in Haiti.

Michael Foster: Shortly after the earthquake struck on 12 January, the Department for International Development (DFID) announced £300,000 in funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for disease surveillance to help prevent epidemics.
	Despite some increase in diarrhoea, tetanus and contagious diseases, comprehensive surveillance has not detected any major signs so far.
	Our field team reports that co-ordination of the water and sanitation relief efforts continue to improve despite the scope and complexity of this response. To strengthen co-ordination, we have given £1 million to the UN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for co-ordination. This funding is helping to strengthen the efforts of implementing partners on the ground to address sanitation issues and reduce the risk of diseases such as cholera.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Aids

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of governments of sub-Saharan African countries about policy to tackle Aids; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides support to the following countries in sub-Saharan Africa on developing and implementing policies to tackle AIDS: Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
	DFID officials, based in the UK and oversees, are in regular contact with representatives of governments in these countries regarding HIV/AIDS policy.
	There have not been recent discussions between DFID Ministers and representatives of governments of sub-Saharan African countries specifically regarding policies to tackle AIDS. However, DFID Ministers have had frequent discussions with such government representatives on policies which have an impact on AIDS.
	Globally, the UK provides the second largest bilateral contribution to tackle AIDS. In our AIDS Strategy, launched in 2008, we committed to spending £6 billion on health systems and services up to 2015. We also pledged £1 billion to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria by 2015 and over £200 million to support social protection programmes.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Civil Nuclear Constabulary

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulatory regime for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

David Kidney: The Civil Nuclear Constabulary forms a key part of the security arrangements for the UK's civil nuclear industry which are required to be in place under the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 as amended, by the independent security regulator, the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS).
	Governance of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary is carried out by the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, a non-departmental public body for which the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is responsible.
	The Civil Nuclear Constabulary is inspected and supported by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
	The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is responsible to Parliament for security in the civil nuclear industry and reviews from time to time the overall arrangements to ensure these are robust and appropriate.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department plans to take in co-operation with its international counterparts to take forward the provisions of the treaty signed in Copenhagen on Climate Change.

Joan Ruddock: The Copenhagen Accord agreed in December 2009 does not have the legal status of a treaty, but includes a number of commitments made by the countries which agreed to it. The UK Government have been working through both bilateral and multilateral channels (including our FCO posts and other countries) to encourage others to associate themselves with the Copenhagen Accord and support its implementation. We have also been encouraging others to put forward ambitious mitigation commitments and actions in the Annex to the Accord. Initial assessments show that most of the major countries have associated themselves with the Accord and put forward mitigation commitments. A definitive list will soon be available on the UNFCCC website.

Fuel Poverty

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the number of households in fuel poverty as a result of the costs arising from heating properties to the temperature required to manage disability and related long-term medical conditions.

David Kidney: It is not possible to say how many people were fuel poor solely due to the cost of heating required to manage a disability or medical condition.

Fuel Poverty

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of fuel poverty in Torbay constituency.

David Kidney: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is responsible for national programmes aimed at reducing fuel poverty. The combination of Warm Front, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP), Decent Homes and local programmes delivered through local government, partnerships, energy suppliers, eaga and NEA (such as Warm Zones and CEEF) are all important in tackling fuel poverty across regions of England.
	The Warm Front Scheme is the Government's main scheme for tackling fuel poverty and up to 28 January 2010 has delivered energy efficiency measures to 5,781 households in Torbay constituency since the year 2000. Additionally, 282 benefit entitlement checks have been undertaken between 2003 and the end of November 2009, identifying an average weekly increase in income of £26.97 for those entitled to additional benefits.
	The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) requires energy suppliers to meet at least 40 per cent. of their obligation by promoting and installing measures in the homes of a priority group of vulnerable consumers in receipt of qualifying benefits or people aged over 70 years. Measures are only reported at GB level and details at constituency level are not available.

Fuel Poverty: Ashford

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of fuel poverty among the residents of Ashford constituency.

David Kidney: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is responsible for national programmes aimed at reducing fuel poverty. The combination of Warm Front, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP), Decent Homes and local programmes delivered through local government, partnerships, energy suppliers, eaga and NEA (such as Warm Zones and CEEF) are all important in tackling fuel poverty across regions of England.
	The Warm Front scheme is the Government's main scheme for tackling fuel poverty and up to 24 January 2010 has delivered energy efficiency measures to 1,904 households in Ashford constituency since the year 2000. Additionally, over 310 benefit entitlement checks have been undertaken since June 2003, identifying an average weekly increase in income of £27.84 for those entitled to additional benefits.
	The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) requires energy suppliers to meet at least 40 per cent. of their obligation by promoting and installing measures in the homes of a priority group of vulnerable consumers in receipt of qualifying benefits or people aged over 70 years. Measures are only reported at GB level and details at constituency level are not available.

Radioactive Materials: Waste Management

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether substitution of some UK-origin high level radioactive waste for intermediate level waste was applied under the repatriation agreement covering the long-term management of radioactive waste arising from reprocessing of imported foreign origin spent fuel in the shipment of radioactive waste from Sellafield to Japan sent on 20 January 2009; how much nuclear waste was in the shipment; how much the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has spent on supporting this shipment; and whether an armed escort vessel is accompanying the shipment.

David Kidney: Over the programme to return highly active waste (HAW) arising from reprocessing of overseas spent fuel, the return of substituted HAW will take place. The details of the status of individual customers' HAW returns is a commercial matter between the parties involved.
	The first shipment consists of 28 HLW canisters in one transport flask, with each canister (vitrified waste and stainless steel) weighing up to 550kg.
	The NDA's expenditure in supporting this shipment is customer funded.
	In accordance with national and international regulations, the vessel will not be armed nor have an armed escort. The shipment has appropriate levels of security protection in accordance with the nuclear industry security regulations. These arrangements comply with the requirements of the UK regulator, the Office for Civil Nuclear Security.

Warm Front Scheme: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in Torbay constituency received assistance under the Warm Front scheme in 2008-09.

David Kidney: The Warm Front Scheme is the Government's main scheme for tacking fuel poverty across England. In 2008-09 the Warm Front Scheme assisted 656 households in the Torbay constituency.

Wind Power

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what generating capacity of what types is planned to be built to provide back-up to support the nine zone Round 3 offshore wind generating turbines; and at what cost;
	(2)  what income is to be guaranteed to generating plants built as back-up to the nine zone Round 3 offshore wind generating turbines when they are  (a) not generating and  (b) operating at low capacity.

David Kidney: The Government set out in the 2009 call for evidence Delivering Secure Low Carbon Electricity their assessment of the need for flexible power stations to provide back-up for periods when wind output is low, and invited responses on this assessment and on options for increasing electricity supply and demand flexibility. These responses will be considered as part of the energy markets assessment work announced in the pre-Budget report.

Wind Power

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of Round 3 offshore wind generating platforms will be constructed in the UK.

David Kidney: Offshore wind turbines consist of a wide range of components, including towers, blades, castings and forgings, nacelles, gearboxes and bearings, undersea cable, foundations, electrical and control components, that are likely to be sourced from a broad supply chain. The offshore wind projects under Round 3 are still in development and it is not yet known what percentage of these components will be sourced or assembled in the UK.
	In order to maximise the business for UK companies and new green jobs, the Government will work with developers and The Crown Estate to support the growing offshore wind industry and help remove barriers to rapid deployment. This will include events around the country organised by The Crown Estate that bring together developers and UK businesses. Government are also supporting the next generation technologies that this scale of deployment will need, through a package of support to ensure the UK benefits from this innovative market.

Wind Power

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in which country each company is based which will  (a) install and  (b) run the generating platforms in each zone of Round 3 offshore wind development.

David Kidney: Each of the Partner companies that is party to a Zone Development Agreement (ZDA) is registered in England and Wales. For Zones 1 (Moray Firth), Zone 2 (Firth of Forth) and 5 (Norfolk Bank), the main offices of the Partner will be in Scotland. For all other zones, the main offices of the Partner will be in England.
	The ZDA grants exclusive rights to develop wind power within the zone, which is effectively the right to seek all the necessary consents for the wind farms. Each wind farm will be developed and owned by a new Project Company, who will hold the Lease from The Crown Estate. Each new Project Company must be registered in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and will initially be owned by the Partner.

Wind Power

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from what source the nine Round 3 offshore wind developments will be funded.

David Kidney: The Government are working hard to provide a positive policy framework to facilitate the UK offshore wind industry. Renewable electricity generated by wind will continue to receive support through the Renewables Obligation, which has recently been extended to 2037 to ensure Round 3 developers investing up to 2020 can do so with confidence.
	Within this context, the source of funding and investment needed for the construction and operation of any individual Round 3 offshore wind farms is for the successful developers to source and provide.

Wind Power: Electricity Generation

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his estimate is of the amount of electricity generated by onshore wind farms in each of the last two months.

David Kidney: The Department collects wind data on a monthly basis. These data are published two months in arrears, so the latest data available are for October 2009. Available data for the last 12 months are given in the table.
	Monthly data are only collected from major power producers (MPPs) and it is not possible to separate onshore and offshore wind generation. We collect more detailed data on an annual basis which cover both MPPs and smaller generators with an onshore/offshore split. In 2008 onshore wind farms generated 5,792GWh and offshore l,305GWh. Equivalent data for 2009 will be available on 29 July 2010.
	
		
			  Monthly wind generation 
			   GWh 
			  2008  
			 November 598.3 
			 December 528.5 
			   
			  2009  
			 January 701.7 
			 February 464.3 
			 March 611.3 
			 April 439.9 
			 May 573.2 
			 June 343.3 
			 July 488.8 
			 August 516.8 
			 September 502.9 
			 October 489.4

Wind Power: Noise

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will review the standards in respect of noise from wind turbines contained in the document ETSU-R-97 for the purposes of further limiting the permitted level of noise.

David Kidney: We consider that ETSU-R-97 is fit for purpose, and that a review is not justified at this time.

HEALTH

Abortion

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has commissioned recent research on a potential link between spending on community contraception services and the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 44 years; how much each primary care trust spent on community contraception services in the last 12 months; what the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 44 years was in each primary care trust in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department has not commissioned any research on the potential link between spending on community contraceptive services and abortion rates. However, the Government's significant additional funding over the past two years to improve women's access to contraception has contributed to a decrease in abortion rates: the abortion rate for women resident in England and Wales fell by 1.7 per cent, between 2007 and 2008 and by a further 4.6 per cent, in the first six months of 2009.
	Information on spending on community contraceptive services by primary care trust (PCT) is not available centrally.
	Information on the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 44 years by PCT for each month in 2008 has been placed in the Library. The 2009 annual abortion data will be published on 25 May 2010.

Blood: Donors

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs, whether his Department has made a decision on the proposed introduction of the P-Capt filter into paediatrics.

Gillian Merron: This advice was received by the Department following the October 2009 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs. The Department is currently carrying out an assessment of the potential impact of implementation of this advice on the national health service.

CJD

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of risk of contracting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease through podiatric procedures; and whether he has made an assessment of the  (a) merits and  (b) cost of implementing measures to mitigate that risk;
	(2)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of risk of contracting variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease through brain surgery procedures; and whether he has made an assessment of the  (a) merits and  (b) cost of implementing measures to mitigate that risk;
	(3)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of risk of contracting variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease through ophthalmological procedures; and whether he has made an assessment of the  (a) merits and  (b) cost of implementing measures to mitigate that risk.

Gillian Merron: The Department takes advice from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) on the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) risk associated with different tissues and different surgical procedures, and takes a precautionary approach to handling such risks. ACDP's advice ranks brain and rear of eye (contacted in some ophthalmic surgery) tissues, and surgery on these tissues, as at high level of potential risk and has published guidance on measures to reduce the risks. All ACDP's advice is available at Guidance from the ACDP TSE Working Group:
	www.dh.gov.uk/ab/ACDP/TSEguidance/index.htm
	The Department's 2001 risk assessment for transmission of vCJD via surgical instruments is published at Risk assessment for transmission of vCJD via surgical instruments: a modelling approach and numerical scenarios:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4075387
	A 2005 review of this work, assessing the risk of vCJD transmission via surgery: an interim review, is published at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4113541
	Copies of these documents have been placed in the Library-
	There has been no specific assessment of the level of risk of contracting vCJD through podiatric procedures. ACDP considers these procedures as low risk on the basis of tissue infectivity and therefore no specific measures are required. As for all surgery high standards of instrument decontamination should be maintained.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies are in transition prior to being managed out; how long on average the transition window between notification and exit has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its agencies in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of the salary costs of staff in transition in each such year; and what proportion of employees in transition were classed as being so for more than six months in each year.

Phil Hope: The Department does not formally have staff in transition. Where staff are displaced from their current post, their redeployment is managed through a priority posting pool. On 1 January 2010 there were 13 displaced staff in the pool. This number includes displaced staff across all grades.
	The Department does not record information about how long each individual remains in the pool, but most do secure a permanent post within six months.
	Over the last five years, a small number of staff have left the Department under compulsory redundancy terms, following a period of redeployment. These are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of compulsory redundancies 
			 2005-06 8 
			 2006-07 8 
			 2007-08 10 
			 2008-09 0 
			 2009-10(1) 1 
			 (1)Up to December 2009 
		
	
	The core Department's records do not show how long each of these staff were displaced before leaving the Department.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) reports that no staff were in transition over the last five years.
	The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) has been subject to a significant change programme as the functions of the agency are in the process of being transferred to other organisations. The closure of PASA is being effected over the 2009-10 financial year. No other data is available from PASA for the previous five years. In 2009-10 to date the number of staff initially placed at risk, was 236. Of these 108 were made compulsorily redundant the remainder have been redeployed or are currently being redeployed. Average period between notification and exit of those PASA staff was four months. The total salary costs of PASA staff in transition was £14,998,475 and the overall proportion of employees in transition for more than six months was 22 per cent.

Health Services: Voluntary Work

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has allocated to the Opportunities for Volunteering scheme in each of the last five financial years; and how much funding he plans to allocate to the health and social care volunteering fund in the next five financial years.

Phil Hope: Over the next three years, the existing OFV scheme will be wound-down concurrently as the funding to the new volunteering fund is correspondingly increased. The total budget available for volunteering will remain the same subject to the outcome of the next spending review. Allocations to the OFV scheme will continue through 2010-11 and 2011-12 but there will be a natural tapering of these as there will be no further OFV grants awarded.
	Funding allocated to Opportunities for Volunteering (OFV) in each of the last five financial years is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Allocation (£) 
			 2009-10 6,807,823 
			 2008-09 6,746,000 
			 2007-08 6,698,000 
			 2006-07 6,684,000 
			 2005-06 6,883,000 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide definitive information on the next five years' allocation of funding to the Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund as budgets for 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 will be subject to the outcome of the next spending review. However, the contract for the Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund has been awarded for three years starting in 2009-10, with funding estimated in the contract terms as follows:
	
		
			  Financial Year  Allocation (£) 
			 2009-10 273,177 
			 2010-11 2,493,885 
			 2011-12 3,834,272

Home Care Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2009,  Official Report, column 495W, on social services, whether the figures given in table 2 of the Personal Care at Home Bill impact assessment for additional costs relate to million of pounds.

Phil Hope: The additional cost figures in table 2 of the Personal Care at Home Bill impact assessment are shown in millions of pounds. This is labelled in the amended version of the impact assessment, which was published on 11 January 2010. A copy has already been placed in Library.

Home Care Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methodology was used to calculate the costs in  (a) Annex B of the impact assessment for the Personal Care at Home Bill,  (b) table 13 of the PSSRU discussion paper 2644 and  (c) table 35e of his Department's memorandum contained in HC 269-i.

Phil Hope: The model referred to in paragraphs 5.12, 5.13 and Annex B of the impact assessment is still under development. For this reason, its output has not been incorporated into any of the figures reported in the impact assessment. The model will continue to be updated and refined as more information becomes available.
	The Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) has constructed a dynamic microsimulation model to produce estimates for the Green and White Papers of the costs and other impacts of reforms to the funding system for care and support for older people. The model consists of data on almost 30,000 older people in waves 3 to 15 of the British Household Panel Survey. The data includes information on each person's age, gender, household composition, disability (activities of daily living), income, savings, receipt of informal care and other characteristics.
	Table 13 of PSSRU discussion paper 2644 sets out the unit costs of residential care and community care that are used in the modelling. These are derived from data provided by local authorities via the Personal Social Services (PSS) EX1 return. They are assumed to increase by 2 per cent. per year in real terms, in line with expected rises in real earnings.
	The NHS Information Centre provides the information for part  (c) Table 35e as a response to a Health Select Committee Question. This table contains the unit costs for the hourly rate for home care provided or commissioned by Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs) to adults (aged 18 and over).
	The unit cost of services provided or commissioned by CASSRs to adults is collected via the PSS EX1 return. The PSS EX1 return collects both financial and activity information and has been the responsibility of the NHS Information Centre since April 2005. Prior to this date data was collected by the Department.
	The unit costs are average costs and are calculated using gross total cost for home care (i.e. including capital charges and before deducting client contributions) divided by the total number of home help/care contact hours for all adults (aged 18 and over) during a sample week, multiplied by 52.
	The activity figures for clients receiving home care are taken from a survey in a typical week in September each year. The figures are for services provided or commissioned by a local authority. This will exclude private arrangements by an individual.
	In 2007-08 a change has been made to the definition of capital charges to bring the PSS EX1 data in line with the 2006 local authority Accounting Statement of Recommended Practice. This means that total cost cannot be compared historically.
	A new column was added to the PSS EX1 return in 2007-08 to record grants to voluntary organisations against the appropriate service line to allow more meaningful unit costs for provision by others to be calculated. Grants are now excluded from the unit cost expenditure as only activity relating to the CASSR care plan can be recorded and used in the unit cost calculation. This change combined with the change to the definition of capital charges which applies to both own provision and provision by others means that the unit costs for 2007-08 cannot be compared with previous years.

Home Care Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methodology was used to calculate the number of critical care users  (a) in table 10 of the PSSRU discussion paper 2644 and  (b) table 2 of the impact assessment for the Personal Care at Home Bill.

Phil Hope: The Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) has constructed a dynamic microsimulation model to produce estimates for the Green and White Papers of the costs and other impacts of reforms to the funding system for care and support for older people. The model consists of data on almost 30,000 older people in waves 3 to 15 of the British Household Panel Survey. The data includes information on each person's age, gender, household composition, disability (affecting activities of daily living (ADLs)), income, savings, receipt of informal care and other characteristics. The modelling assumes that disability rates (by age and gender) remain constant over time.
	Each disabled person in the model is assigned:
	informal care, which is imputed on the basis of disability and living alone;
	Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) guidance category, which is imputed on the basis of disability and other factors; and
	a normative care package, assigned on the basis of their needs (disability and household composition).
	Table 10 of PSSRU discussion paper 2644 sets out the numbers of older people in the model that fall into each level of need, as defined in FACS, based on their severity of impairment, before any consideration of their informal care situation. Table 12 sets out similar information after consideration of informal care.
	The starting point for the estimates of service users who are defined as critical under FACS reporting difficulty with four or more ADLs shown in table 2 of the Impact Assessment is an estimate of the number of FACS critical users at home taken from PSSRU's microsimulation model for older people. This initial estimate differs from the FACS critical volume figure in table 10 of the PSSRU discussion paper 2644 in two important regards. First, the figures in the discussion paper relate to those in both residential and domiciliary settings, whereas what is important for the purpose of the Impact Assessment is the number of those living at home. In practice, almost all those in a residential care setting are likely to have critical needs. And secondly, the figures in the discussion paper are estimated before informal care considerations. Since receipt or not of informal care is part of the assessment of Fair Access to Care, it is an important consideration in determining the number of people deemed to be FACS critical.
	The next step is to estimate the number of FACS critical individuals reporting difficulty with four or more ADLs. This is done using the information in table 1 of the Impact Assessment, and is explained in detail in the responses I gave to him on 14 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 762-3W.

Hospital Beds: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospital beds there were per head of population in  (a) the former Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire strategic health authority area,  (b) the East of England strategic health authority area,  (c) the former Suffolk west primary care trust area and  (d) Suffolk primary care trust area in each relevant year since 1997.

Phil Hope: Information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the average daily number of available acute beds per 100,000 population, for the period 2002-03 to 2008-09 for the former Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA), the East of England SHA which was created on 1 October 2006, following the merger of three previous SHA (Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA, Essex SHA and Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA), the former Suffolk West PCT and Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT).
	
		
			   Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA  East of England SHA  Suffolk West PCT  Suffolk PCT 
			 2002-03 213.3 n/a 2.8 n/a 
			 2003-04 218.7 n/a (1)- n/a 
			 2004-05 211.5 n/a (1)- n/a 
			 2005-06 198.0 n/a (1)- n/a 
			 2006-07 n/a 154.4 n/a (1)- 
			 2007-08 n/a 150.6 n/a (1)- 
			 2008-09 n/a 148.5 n/a (1)- 
			 (1) Denotes zero  Notes: 1. Due to SHA reconfigurations, data from prior to 2002-03 are not available at SHA level. 2 Suffolk West PCT only provided acute beds in 2002-03. They subsequently provided geriatric beds. 3 Suffolk West PCT was formed at the start of 2002-03 from Bury St Edmonds PCT. The old organisation did not provide any beds. 4. Suffolk PCT was formed in October 2006 from the merger of Suffolk Coastal PCT, Ipswich PCT, Central Suffolk PCT and Suffolk West PCT. Suffolk PCT does not provide any acute beds. 5. Figures may have altered slightly from the answer to earlier PQs as the table has been updated using the revised population statistics issued by the Office of National Statistics.  Source:  Department of Health form KH03 and Office for National Statistics for population data.

Midwives

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have  (a) taken up and  (b) left a job as a midwife in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected by the Department in the manner requested.
	The following table shows the number of midwives in post, within the National Health Service in England in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   Registered midwives 
			 2004 24,844 
			 2005 24,808 
			 2006 24,469 
			 2007 25,093 
			 2008 25,664 
			  Source:  Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census

Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the five-year survival rate for patients treated for  (a) lung,  (b) kidney and  (c) liver cancer at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton was at the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 28 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the five year survival rate for patients treated for (a) lung, (b) kidney and (c) liver cancer at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton was at the latest date for which figures are available.
	Cancer survival rates are not routinely available for patients treated in individual hospitals.
	One-year survival figures for three cancers (breast, colorectal and lung) by primary care trust have recently been published by the Department of Health in the second annual report of the Cancer Reform Strategy. The report can be downloaded from this link:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_109338

NHS: Children

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) statutory and  (b) other obligation applies to the NHS in respect of its duty of care towards children by reporting (i) births and (ii) evidence of lack of care of a child to local children's services; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Children Act 2004 places a duty on local authorities through their directors of children's services to co-ordinate the production of a strategic Children and Young People's Plan in order to provide an overarching vision for all children and young people in a given area.
	Health visitors, who are notified of all pregnancies and births and are responsible for the registered population, are an integral part of the child health team.
	Under section 11 of the Act, all primary care trusts, NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts and strategic health authorities have a statutory duty to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, and are members of Local Safeguarding Children Boards. The inter-agency statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children, states that
	If somebody believes that a child may be suffering, or be at risk of suffering, significant harm, then they should always refer their concerns to LA children's social care.

NHS: Ex-servicemen

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many veterans received priority treatment on the NHS in 2009.

Mike O'Brien: Priority access to national health service secondary care for conditions likely to be related to service (subject to the clinical needs of all patients), previously only available to war pensioners, was extended to all veterans (someone who has served at least one day in the United Kingdom armed forces) from 1 January 2008. Data on the number of veterans receiving priority treatment are not collected centrally.

NHS: Local Government

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts  (a) have and  (b) have not appointed a local director of public health jointly with each relevant local authority.

Gillian Merron: This information can be found in tables which have been placed in the Library.

Nurses

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses had not secured a nursing position within  (a) one month,  (b) three months,  (c) six months,  (d) one year,  (e) two years and  (f) five years after qualifying in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

Nutrition

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were recorded as having  (a) an admission and  (b) a discharge episode with a diagnosis of (i) malnutrition, (ii) nutritional anaemias and (iii) other nutritional deficiencies in each (A) strategic health authority and (B) primary care trust commissioning area of residence in each year since 1997-98.

Gillian Merron: This information has been placed in the Library.

Social Services: Regulation

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) improvement plans,  (b) warning letters,  (c) statutory requirement notices,  (d) changes to conditions of registration and  (e) cancellations of registration were issued by the Commission for Social Care Inspection in relation to each category of care in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The information has been provided by the Care Quality Commission.
	The information is not available in the format requested.
	The Commission is unable to provide the requested information relating to improvement plans or warning letters. These are not specifically recorded in its central database.
	The Commission has advised that it is unable to provide statutory requirement notices. The following table shows the numbers of statutory enforcement notices issued to adult social care services each year.
	
		
			  Number of statutory enforcement notices issued to adult social care services in each financial year 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 1) 
			 Home care agency 1 6 39 24 
			 Nurses agency 1 1 8 7 
			 Nursing home 86 136 142 86 
			 Residential care home 216 221 359 223 
			 Total 304 364 548 340 
			 (1) The Commission has figures for statutory enforcement notices up to 31 October 2007 only for the year 2007-08. After that point the Commission stopped collecting this information centrally, and although the information is collected locally it is not broken down into the categories shown. 
		
	
	The Commission has advised that it does not hold data on changes to conditions of registration.
	The Commission has provided the following data on cancellations, which is broken down into non-urgent and urgent cancellations.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Non-urgent cancellations of registration of adult social care services  
			 Home care agency 0 7 14 20 9 
			 Nurses agency 8 6 10 16 6 
			 Nursing home 8 7 6 7 8 
			 Residential care home 16 26 27 23 23 
			 Total 32 46 57 66 46 
			   
			  Urgent cancellations of registration of adult social care services  
			 Residential care home 5 0 3 9 3 
			 Nursing home 0 1 0 0 3 
			 Home care agency 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Total 5 2 3 9 7

Tarceva

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the NHS does not meet the cost of the prescription of Tarceva to patients in England; and whether he plans to review this policy.

Mike O'Brien: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published technology appraisal guidance in November 2008 recommending Tarceva as an alternative to the drug docetaxel for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Primary care trusts are statutorily required to make funding available for treatments recommended by NICE's technology appraisal guidance.

JUSTICE

Administration of Estates

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the consultation carried out by his Department's predecessor on Administration of estates: review of the statutory legacy.

Bridget Prentice: We received 33 responses to the consultation: Administration of Estates - Review of the Statutory Legacy (CP 11/05). We published the post-consultation report in August 2008 (CP(R) 11/05). As a result of the consultation, we increased the statutory legacy from £125,000 to £250,000 where the deceased leaves a surviving spouse or civil partner and children and from £200,000 to £450,000 where the deceased leaves a surviving spouse or civil partner and parents or siblings, but no children. These changes were implemented on 1 February 2009.
	The consultation paper also sought views on whether there should be a review of the general law of intestacy. Following the response, this topic was referred to the Law Commission, which published a consultation paper: Intestacy and Family Provision Claims on Death (Law Com CP No. 191) in October 2009. The Commission expects to report in 2011.
	Since the publication of the response, I have not received any representations that specifically relate to the consultation paper.

Data Access and Compliance Unit

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which senior officials work in his Department's Data Access and Compliance Unit; what their roles are; what their qualifications are for undertaking those roles; and who is responsible for the performance of the unit.

Michael Wills: The Data Access and Compliance Unit is part of the Information Access Division, which is responsible for the Ministry's compliance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act, as well as for the provision of library services to the Ministry. It is headed by a Senior Civil Servant, reporting to the Information Director. The performance of the Unit is monitored at all levels of management, individual measures being part of the job objectives of the members of staff involved. All managers receive appropriate levels of training and support to enable them to fulfil their roles.

Data Access and Compliance Unit

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what evaluations have been made of the performance of his Department's Data Access and Compliance Unit; who undertook those evaluations; and what use has been made of those evaluations by  (a) his Departments Corporate Management Board and  (b) Ministers.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice's Data Access and Compliance Unit's performance targets are incorporated into the objectives of the staff that work in and manage the unit, as well as into departmental targets. Regular updates on performance against these targets are provided to senior staff, members of the Ministry's Corporate Management Board, and Ministers.
	Starting with the Unit's formation in late 2008, a body of work has been undertaken to improve Freedom of Information performance across the Ministry. Timeliness performance-the number of cases answered within statutory deadlines-has risen from 51 per cent. in December 2008 to 77 per cent. at the end of October 2009. We expect a further improvement when the figures for the period ending in December 2009 are available.

Data Protection: Freedom of Information

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many meetings there have been between his Department and the Information Commissioner's Office to discuss his Department's compliance with its obligations under data protection and freedom of information legislation in the last 12 months; when each such meeting occurred; and who attended in each case.

Michael Wills: Officials in the Data Access and Compliance Unit have met officials from the Information Commissioner's Office on three occasions since the Unit was created in October 2008.
	Officials in the Ministry continue to have regular contact with the Information Commissioner's Office, both to discuss its overall performance in relation to its data protection and freedom of information obligations, and in the course of the Commissioner's investigations in individual cases.

Data Protection: Freedom of Information

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps have been taken to ensure that outstanding freedom of information and subject access requests to his Department are answered within the statutory timescale; and which official in his Department has responsibility for advising Ministers on freedom of information.

Michael Wills: The creation of the Data Access and Compliance Unit in October 2008 has allowed the Ministry to make significant improvements to its Freedom of Information and Data Protection performance. The Unit has taken forward a programme of wide-ranging work since its inception, including improving staff awareness of the Ministry's obligations under both pieces of legislation, and the extension of the network of staff responsible for handling requests within business areas.
	Where appropriate Ministers receive advice in relation to individual cases from officials in the Ministry's Information and Legal Directorates.

Data Protection: Freedom of Information

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what training has been provided to  (a) him,  (b) the Minister of State with responsibility for freedom of information and data protection,  (c) the Permanent Secretary and  (d) the Director-General, Democracy, Constitution and Law on his Department's responsibilities under freedom of information and data protection legislation; and if he will publish the written material provided in relation to such training.

Michael Wills: Ministers and senior officials at the Ministry are fully aware of its obligations under Freedom of Information and Data Protection legislation, and expect it to achieve the highest possible standards of compliance.
	No bespoke Freedom of Information training has been provided to either Ministers or senior officials. However, all members of the Ministry's staff-including the permanent secretary and the director general, democracy, constitution and law-are required to complete mandatory online training on the correct handling of information and ensuring data is appropriately protected in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. The training package exists in electronic form on a password protected website accessible only to the Ministry's staff, and to transfer it into a form appropriate for publication would incur disproportionate cost.
	Ministers and senior officials are advised on a regular basis of the Ministry's performance in these areas, as well as receiving policy and legal advice in relation to individual cases where appropriate.

David Kelly Death Inquiry

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons certain papers submitted to Lord Hutton's inquiry into the death of Dr. David Kelly are not to be disclosed until 70 years have elapsed.

Jack Straw: No determination has been made that the medical reports and photographs connected to the death of Dr. David Kelly should be closed for 70 years. Rather, Lord Hutton noted in his statement on Tuesday 26 January that he had requested that the post mortem examination report relating to Dr. Kelly not be disclosed for 70 years in view of the distress that could be caused to Dr. Kelly's wife and daughters.
	The Ministry of Justice is now considering carefully the most appropriate course of action.

Debt Collection

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish the redacted elements of magistrates courts guidance to bailiffs on procedures for breaking into properties as a last resort.

Bridget Prentice: There are currently legal proceedings between the Ministry of Justice, the Information Commissioner and another party on this subject.

Departmental Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) empty and  (b) occupied residential properties his Department owns; and what the (i) potential annual rental and (ii) total book value is of those (A) empty and (B) occupied residential properties.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice does not own any residential properties, however its agencies, HM Courts Service and the National Offender Management Service both own residential properties to support their operations.
	HM Courts Service owns 19 residential properties, made up of:
	
		
			  Residential  Number  Book value at 31 December 2009 (£1,000)  Rent received (£1,000 pa)  Potential rent (£1,000 pa) 
			 Up for sale 2 250 0 (1)- 
			 Empty 2 411 0 6 
			 Occupied and rented out 4 1,055 17 0 
			 Judges lodging (freehold) 11 14,554 0 (1)- 
			 Total 19 16,271 17 6 
			 (1) Not available for rent. 
		
	
	The empty and occupied and rented out properties are being held in connection with the construction of a new court scheme which is in the very early stages of development.
	Judges lodgings provide accommodation for judges on circuit duty. For security these lodgings cannot be made available for wider rental. Where suitable alternative rental properties are available they are used and surplus lodgings have been sold.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) owns 397 residential properties, made up of:
	
		
			  Residential  Number  Book value at 31 December 2009 (£1,000) 
			 Operational use 88 10,300 
			 Occupied 198 24,600 
			 Unoccupied 111 11,700 
		
	
	The operational residential properties are currently used for office space, training and other operations. The NOMS figures do not include prisons or approved premises used to house offenders.
	Unoccupied properties are no longer required for NOMS operations and are currently being prepared for disposal.
	Occupied premises are provided to HM Prison Service personnel to meet operational requirements and the individual prison officers pay rental depending on their job grade. As these properties are not available for rental on the open market, NOMS does not have a potential market rental value for them.
	The balance sheets of NOMS and HM Courts Service contain both freehold properties and those on finance leases. For the purposes of this question we have included only freehold properties.

Driving Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of sentence was in England and Wales in respect of convictions for motoring offences which resulted in a fatality in each of the last three years.

Claire Ward: The requested information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of offenders sentenced, result and average custodial sentence length (ACSL)( 1)  f or motoring offences resulting i n death( 2) , 2006-08 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 Total sentenced 299 318 275 
			 Discharge 0 1 0 
			 Fine 2 4 7 
			 Community sentence 8 9 2 
			 Suspended sentence 8 15 10 
			 Immediate custody 280 287 255 
			 Otherwise dealt with 1 2 1 
			 ACSL 42.6 42.1 48.1 
			 (1) ACSL(months) excludes life/indeterminate sentences. (2) Offences of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving, causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs causing death by driving: unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured drivers, causing death by aggravated vehicle taking.  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. 2. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: Justice Statistics-Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Driving Offences: Alcoholic Drinks

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) males and  (b) females in each age group were prosecuted for speeding offences were over the drink-drive limit in each of the last two years.

Claire Ward: Centrally held information does not identify, of persons prosecuted for speed limit offences, those persons who were breath-tested at the time of the offence.
	To answer the question based on the number of persons prosecuted for speed limit offences who were also convicted for offences of driving after consuming alcohol would require manual intervention. It is not possible to provide an answer without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid Scheme

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have had a Legal Services Commission legal aid charge postponed and attached to their property after a family proceeding in the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: After preserving or recovering property in a family case with the help of legal aid, clients can ask to defer repayment of their legal aid costs, and instead register a charge on their property. There are 8,239 cases where a charge was attached to property in the last three years and remains open (unpaid).
	
		
			   Cases 
			 2006-07 2,050 
			 2007-08 2,272 
			 2008-09 3,917 
			 Total 8,239

Legal Aid Scheme

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if the Government will reduce the interest rate applied to legal aid charges to the Legal Services Commission to reflect changes in the Bank of England base rate.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2 February 2010,  Official  Report, column 263W.

National Standards for Enforcement Agents

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to monitor the level of compliance of  (a) magistrates,  (b) HM Courts Service fines officers and  (c) bailiff companies with the provisions on vulnerable situations of his Department's National Standards for Enforcement Agents.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 377-78W.
	I confirm that a protocol has been introduced setting out the procedure to be taken with vulnerable defaulters including the instruction not to take any action to levy distress without prior reference to the court where the individual falls into one of categories deemed as vulnerable. Complaints by members of the public about the conduct of the contractor must be reported to Her Majesty's Courts Service regional contract managers, together with details of how those complaints have been dealt with and resolved. These are reviewed as part of the contract management process.
	Further reporting protocols now contained within the contracts strengthen the control and monitoring arrangements available to HMCS on contractor performance. This includes quarterly and six-month assurance reporting. Within these reports each contractor will detail its procedures and processes and the agreed authorisation methods with each HMCS region and area for the operation of the contracts.
	There is also a requirement for each contractor to make an annual operation report reviewing their management of the contract. Combined, these reports form the basis for the HMCS Director of Enforcement to make an annual report covering the operation of all regional contracts.
	The reports produced by the contractors at the six month and yearly stages of the contract will be reviewed and reported on to the HMCS Compliance and Enforcement and main HMCS Management boards.

Political Parties: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to make an order under section 76A of the Representation of the People Act 1983 to vary the maximum amount of candidates' election expenses.

Michael Wills: The Government do not intend to vary the maximum amount of candidates' election expenses under section 76 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 before the next parliamentary general election. In reaching this view I have consulted the Electoral Commission, who agree that an increase in spending limits is not necessary at this point. I will be placing copies of both letters in the Library.

Prosecutions: Television

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in  (a) each region of England and  (b) Wales were (i) fined and (ii) prosecuted for non-payment of television licence fees in each of the last three years.

Claire Ward: The requested information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Total fines for TV licence in each region, 2006-08 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 North East 8,640 7,814 10,107 
			 North West 25,079 24,839 23,578 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 12,663 13,561 8,254 
			 East Midlands 8,126 9,477 10,566 
			 West Midlands 12,666 13,751 15,698 
			 East of England 8,280 7,976 7,363 
			 London 14,845 17,860 15,642 
			 South East 7,459 8,423 10,117 
			 South West 6,627 7,100 7,465 
			 Wales 9,600 9,313 8,332 
			  Notes: 1. The TV licensing provisions of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 were replaced by new provisions in the Communications Act 2003 which came into effect on 1 April 2004. 2. These are the numbers fined against for all offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Act which mainly but not exclusively covers TV licensing offences. 3. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for television licence evasion, by Government office region, England and Wales, 2006 - 08( 1, 2) 
			   2006( 3)  2007( 4)  2008( 4) 
			 North East 9,407 8,456 10,342 
			 North West 27,153 26,657 25,536 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 14,283 14,820 13,080 
			 East Midlands 9,221 10,534 11,111 
			 West Midlands 14,234 15,147 17,425 
			 East of England 9,642 9,145 8,458 
			 London 19,308 22,791 19,583 
			 South East 8,805 9,786 11,780 
			 South West 7,616 8,139 8,165 
			 Total England 119,669 125,475 125,480 
			 Wales 10,461 10,073 9,064 
			 Total Wales 10,461 10,073 9,064 
			 Total England and Wales 130,130 135,548 134,544 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) As well as television licence evasion, these data include proceedings for summary offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 to 1967. (4) These figures relate to the offence of television licence evasion under the Communications Act 2003.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	These data are presented on the principal offence basis: where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed; where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.

Prosecutions: Television

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in Northern Ireland were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) fined for non-payment of the television licence fee (i) in total, (ii) by local authority area and (iii) by constituency in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: In 2008, 5,272 people in Northern Ireland were prosecuted for non-payment of the television licence fee and 4,118 fines imposed.
	In 2007, 5901 people were prosecuted and 4,464 fines imposed.
	Corresponding information for 2006 is not available.
	Information is not collected by local authority area or by constituency. However, the following table shows information for 2007 and 2008 for magistrates courts across Northern Ireland:
	
		
			  Defendants prosecuted for no TV licence-2007 
			  Magistrates court office  Number of defendants  Number of fines 
			 Belfast 1,573 1,204 
			 Newtownards 188 154 
			 Downpatrick 136 110 
			 Craigavon 330 264 
			 Armagh 181 127 
			 Banbridge 52 37 
			 Omagh 149 103 
			 Strabane 91 69 
			 Antrim 221 172 
			 Londonderry 694 493 
			 Enniskillen 114 89 
			 Coleraine 305 233 
			 Newry 362 245 
			 Limavady 252 198 
			 Magherafelt 94 74 
			 Ballymena 262 186 
			 Bangor 147 115 
			 Larne 93 62 
			 Lisburn 387 308 
			 Dungannon 270 221 
			 Total 5,901 4,464 
		
	
	
		
			  Defendants prosecuted for no TV Licence-2008 
			  Magistrates court office  Number of defendants  Number of fines 
			 Belfast 1,620 1,334 
			 Newtownards 264 212 
			 Downpatrick 116 97 
			 Craigavon 330 255 
			 Armagh 231 171 
			 Banbridge 76 53 
			 Omagh 154 98 
			 Strabane 75 51 
			 Antrim 105 75 
			 Londonderry 384 313 
			 Enniskillen 125 87 
			 Coleraine 277 213 
			 Newry 319 223 
			 Limavady 102 72 
			 Magherafelt 81 64 
			 Ballymena 168 134 
			 Bangor 150 100 
			 Larne 67 53 
			 Lisburn 345 279 
			 Dungannon 283 234 
			 Total 5,272 4,118

Victim Support Schemes

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been distributed from the Victims Fund in 2009-10; which groups have received money from the fund for the provision of services to victims of  (a) homicide and  (b) hate crime in 2009-10; and what plans he has for the distribution of monies from the fund in 2010-11.

Claire Ward: The Victims Fund comprises three parts: £1.25 million for organisations supporting victims of sexual violence; £0.25 million for organisations supporting the bereaved relatives of homicide victims; and £0.25 million for organisations supporting victims of hate crime.
	In financial year 2009-10 the homicide and hate crime sections were supplemented from within the Home Office budget by £73,000 and £59,500 following negotiations with successful applicants.
	In 2009-10 a total of £1,892,254.69 was distributed from the Victims Fund. Of this, £1,249,664 was distributed to organisations supporting victims of sexual violence; £333,101 to organisations supporting the bereaved relatives of homicide victims; and £309,489.69 to organisations supporting victims of hate crime.
	The following organisations received money from the homicide section of the Victims Fund:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Winston's Wish 46,835 
			 Advocacy after fatal domestic abuse 34,616 
			 Support against Murder and manslaughter 27,850 
			 National Victims Association 73,800 
			 MAMAA 75,000 
			 Damilola Taylor Trust 75,000 
		
	
	The following organisations received money from the hate crime section of the Victims Fund:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Age Concern Camden 23,110 
			 Community Security Trust 54,354 
			 GIRES 10,110 
			 North Herts People First 17,788 
			 Redbridge Equalities Council 24,038.69 
			 Royal Mencap Kirklees 4,000 
			 Stonewall 25,000 
			 Stop Hate UK 71,600 
			 Torfaen People First 29,064 
			 Voice UK 50,425 
		
	
	All sections of the homicide fund will be administered from the Office of Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) in 2010-11. The bidding round for distribution of the fund opened on 29 January. The homicide and hate crime sections will be distributed following assessment of bids by OCJR and the Home Office respectively. The sexual violence section will be distributed on behalf of OCJR by an expert intermediary organisation, to be chosen from within the sexual violence sector.

Victim Support Schemes

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what telephone helplines his Department and its predecessors have provided for victims of murder and manslaughter in each of the last 10 years.

Claire Ward: Since 1999, core funding has been provided to SAMM (Support After Murder and Manslaughter) who operate a national helpline for relatives bereaved by murder and manslaughter.
	In addition, my Department provides funding to Victim Support. In each of the last ten years their annual grant supports their telephone helpline which offers emotional support and, practical advice to victims of crime including relatives bereaved by homicide.
	On 26 October 2009 the Ministry of Justice launched an advice helpline to provide relatives bereaved by homicide legal advice on personal and social issues.
	Since 2004-05 the Victims Fund has provided grant funding to a number of specialist organisations working to assist relatives bereaved by murder and manslaughter. This funding has supported telephone advice offered by the organisations Winston's Wish, Advocacy after Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA), and Mothers Against Murder and Aggression (MAMAA).

CABINET OFFICE

10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been spent on Project George; and what works have been completed under the project.

Angela Smith: Any costs involved in the maintenance and improvement of the Cabinet Office estate are included in Cabinet Office accounts.

Breast Cancer: Cleethorpes

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people resident in  (a) Cleethorpes constituency,  (b) North East Lincolnshire local authority area and  (c) North Lincolnshire local authority area were diagnosed with breast cancer in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 2 February 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people resident in (a) Cleethorpes constituency, (b) North East Lincolnshire local authority area and (c) North Lincolnshire local authority area were diagnosed with breast cancer in each year since 1997.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer (incidence) are for the year 2007. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	The table attached provides the numbers of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer for (a) Cleethorpes parliamentary constituency, (b) North East Lincolnshire unitary authority and (c) North Lincolnshire unitary authority, for each year from 1997 to 2007.
	
		
			  Table 1. Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer,( 1)  persons,( 2 ) (a) Cleethorpes parliamentary constituency, (b) North East Lincolnshire unitary authority and (c) North Lincolnshire unitary authority,( 3)  1997 to 2007( 4) 
			  Persons 
			   Cleethorpes  North East Lincolnshire  North Lincolnshire 
			 1997 57 104 92 
			 1998 65 117 69 
			 1999 54 103 127 
			 2000 104 120 133 
			 2001 63 120 113 
			 2002 75 126 95 
			 2003 73 106 150 
			 2004 63 106 146 
			 2005 75 130 135 
			 2006 70 103 89 
			 2007 68 102 132 
			 (1) Breast cancer is coded as C50 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Around 99 per cent. of breast cancers cases are in women. (3) Based on boundaries as of 2009. (4) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year.

Cancer: South Yorkshire

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many patients in  (a) Barnsley and  (b) Doncaster have been diagnosed with melanoma in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many patients in  (a) Barnsley and  (b) Doncaster have been diagnosed with lung cancer in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 28 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
	1) How many patients in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster have been diagnosed with melanoma in each of the last 10 years.
	2) How many patients in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster have been diagnosed with lung cancer in each of the last 10 years.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of melanoma and lung cancer (incidence) are for the year 2007. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	The tables attached provide the number of newly diagnosed cases of (1) melanoma (Table 1), (2) lung cancer (Table 2) in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster metropolitan districts, from 1997 to 2007.
	
		
			  Table 1:  Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of melanoma( 1) , Barnsley and Doncaster metropolitan districts( 2) , 1997 to 2007( 3) 
			  Persons 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Barnsley 15 14 20 8 10 21 8 16 22 33 40 
			 Doncaster 17 20 14 36 25 44 25 42 41 47 46 
			 (1) Melanoma skin cancer is coded as C43 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2 )Based on boundaries as of 2009. (3 )Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of lung cancer( 1,)  Barnsley and Doncaster metropolitan districts( 2) , 1997 to 2007( 3) 
			  Persons 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Barnsley 196 208 171 205 184 170 184 179 190 193 224 
			 Doncaster 232 241 236 263 234 270 257 244 253 275 258 
			 (1 )Lung cancer is coded as C34 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on boundaries as of 2009. (3) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year.

Census

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what directions Ministers have given to the UK Statistics Authority on the 2011 Census under section 2 of the Census Act 1920, as amended.

Angela Smith: No directions have been given to the UK Statistics Authority on the 2011 Census under section 2 of the Census Act 1920, as amended.

Charities: Standards

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will place in the Library a copy of the Charity Commission's  (a) policy on and  (b) methodology for applying the public benefit test to charities.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew Hind, dated February 2010:
	As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question (315207) requesting that a copy of our policy on, and methodology for, applying the public benefit test to charities is placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The Charities Act 2006 gives the Commission a statutory duty to publish guidance on the public benefit requirement. So far, and following extensive consultation, we have carried out this duty by publishing the guidance listed below which, in each case, includes a section which specifically sets out our approach to assessing public benefit:
	Charities and Public Benefit-section H (January 2008)
	The Prevention or Relief of Poverty for the Public Benefit-section G (December 2008)
	The Advancement of Religion for the Public Benefit-Section G (December 2008)
	The Advancement of Education for the Public Benefit-Section G (December 2008)
	Public Benefit and Fee-Charging-Section E (December 2008)
	As to the methodology for the first round of assessments, we described this in a letter which we sent at the beginning of the process to the twelve charities involved and also published on our website. Public Benefit Assessments: Emerging findings for charity trustees from the Charity Commission's public benefit assessment work: 2008-09 also explained our methodology. I have arranged for these and the following additional documents, which further explain our policy and methodology, to be placed in the Library:
	Public benefit: statement of the basis for the Charity Commission's role and actions (December 2008);
	the individual reports from the first round of public benefit assessment (July 2009); and
	open letter from the Chair and Chief Executive of the Charity Commission (July/August 2009).
	All of this information is also publicly available in the public benefit area of the Charity Commission's website at:
	www.charitycommission.gov.uk
	I hope this is helpful.

Charity Commission: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2009,  Official Report, column 694W, on the Charity Commission: public relations, what the nature was of the training that mandate provided.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew Hind, dated February 2009:
	As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question (314847) on the nature of the training provided by Mandate to the Charity Commission. The training was to assist witnesses in their preparation for the Commission's appearance before the Public Administration Select Committee on 9 October 2008. I hope this is helpful.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Paul Murphy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what amendments to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme will come into force on 1 April 2010.

Tessa Jowell: I propose to make amendments to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme shortly, to introduce new terms from 1 April 2010. The new terms will be fair and affordable, and, following effective discussions with the trade unions will take particular account of the position of the lowest paid. I intend to lay the amendments before the House very shortly. They will, as the Prime Minister pledged last year, save up to £500 million over the next three years.

Civil Servants: West Midlands

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many job vacancies have been advertised internally under the Civil Service West Midlands Pilot; and what the  (a) job title,  (b) department and  (c) salary range of each was.

Angela Smith: The latest data, up to the end of December 2009, show that 2,252 vacancies have been advertised internally under the Civil Service West Midlands Pilot.
	The pilot does not record data for each advertised vacancy on job title and salary range. We can confirm the Departments formally monitored within the pilot are HMRC, DWP, HO, MOJ, MOD and DEFRA, though some other civil service organisations in the region have also advertised vacancies under the scheme.
	To date, advertised vacancies have been at civil service grades AA, AO, EO, HEO, SEO, grade 7 and grade 6 with salaries being commensurate with the relevant pay scale for those grades.
	The breakdown of vacancies by Department and grade for the period of the pilot until end of December 2009 is:
	
		
			  Department  AA  AO  EO  HEO  SEO  G7  G6 
			 HMRC 4 13 41 46 20 15 10 
			 DWP 5 159 392 95 43 18 2 
			 HO 8 26 77 36 21 5 1 
			 MOJ 35 89 38 9 5 1 0 
			 DEFRA 2 14 20 35 31 19 2 
			 MOD (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			 (1) MOD does not provide data in this way; however it is understood to follow a similar pattern across grades at about 50 vacancies per month.

Death: Homelessness

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths of individuals with no fixed abode were recorded in each of the last 24 months.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 2 February 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths of individuals with no fixed abode were recorded in each of the last 24 months. (315194)
	Deaths of people with no fixed abode occurring in 2009 are not yet available.
	The Office for National Statistics collects information on deaths in England and Wales as they are registered. Deaths of people with no fixed abode will generally be registered by a coroner rather than a medical practitioner, since all deaths that may be due to self neglect must be referred to a coroner.
	The table attached provides the number of deaths of people with no fixed abode occurring in England and Wales, by month, for the years 2007 and 2008 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of deaths of people with no fixed abode, England and Wales, 2007-08( 1) 
			   2007  2008 
			 January 7 8 
			 February 5 14 
			 March 5 7 
			 April 13 6 
			 May 11 9 
			 June 6 8 
			 July 14 6 
			 August 11 4 
			 September 10 7 
			 October 7 7 
			 November 5 8 
			 December 6 7 
			 (1) Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar month.

Deaths: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the 10 most frequently recorded causes of death were for  (a) men,  (b) women,  (c) boys under the age of 18 years and  (d) girls under the age of 18 years in Torbay constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 29 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the ten most frequently recorded causes of death were for  (a) men,  (b) women,  (c) boys under the age of 18 years and  (d) girls under the age of 18 years in Torbay constituency in each of the last ten years. (314609)
	The tables attached present the ten most frequently recorded causes of death(1), for (a) males aged 18 years and over (Table 1) and (b) females aged 18 years and over (Table 2), in Torbay parliamentary constituency, for the years 2001 to 2008 (the latest year available).
	Due to the small numbers of deaths of (c) boys under the age of 18 years and (d) girls under the age of 18 years, equivalent information for frequently recorded causes of death could not be produced.
	Individual causes of death are coded by ONS using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The causes of death shown in the tables are groups of codes designed for the tabulation of deaths according to 'main' causes(2). Equivalent information is not readily available for years before 2001, when an earlier version of the International Classification of Diseases was in use.
	(1) In some years, more than 10 causes of death are presented where the numbers of deaths were the same as those for the 10th most frequent cause.
	(2) Griffiths, C, Rooney, C, and Brock, A. (2005) 'Leading causes of death in England and Wales - how should we group causes?'
	
		
			  Table 1: Most frequent causes of death classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD- 10 ), males aged 18 years and over, Torbay parliamentary constituency, 2001 - 08( 1,2,3) 
			   Years when this was a main cause of death for males 
			  Cause of death( 4)  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  ICD-10  c odes 
			 Aortic aneurysm and dissection - - - - - * * * 171 
			 Cerebrovascular diseases * * * * * * * * 160-169 
			 Chronic lower respiratory diseases * * * * * * * * J40-J47 
			 Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver - - - * * - - - K70-K76 
			 Dementia and Alzheimer's disease * * * * * * * * F01, F03, G30 
			 Diseases of the urinary system * * - - - - - - N00-N39 
			 Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease * * * * - - * - 150-151 
			 Influenza and pneumonia * * * * * * * * J10-J18 
			 Ischaemic heart diseases * * * * * * * * 120-125 
			 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of colon, sigmoid, rectum and anus * * * * * * * * C18-C21 
			 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of pancreas - - - - - - - - C25 
			 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of prostate * * * * * * * * C61 
			 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of trachea, bronchus and lung * * * * * * *  C33-C34 
			 Malignant neoplasms (cancer) of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue - - * - * - - * C81-C96 
			 Parkinson's disease - - - - - - * - G20 
			 (1) Most frequent causes of death recorded as the underlying cause in male deaths registered in the year in question. These causes accounted for 59 per cent of all male deaths in Torbay constituency between 2001 and 2008. (2) Cause of death in England and Wales is defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (3) Based on boundaries as of 2009. (4) The words in brackets have been added for clarity and are not part of the International Classification of Diseases. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2. Most frequent causes of death classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), females aged 18 years and over, Torbay constituency, 2001 - 08(1,2,3) 
			   Years when this was a main cause of death for females 
			  Cause of death( 4)  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  ICD-10  c odes 
			 Aortic aneurysm and dissection - - - - - - - * 171 
			 Cerebrovascular diseases * * * * * * * * 160 
			 Chronic lower respiratory diseases * * * * * * * * J40-J47, F01, F03 
			 Dementia and Alzheimer's disease * * * * * * * * G30 
			 Diabetes * - - - - - - - E10-E14 
			 Diseases of the urinary system * * - - - * * * N00-N39 
			 Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease * * * * * * * * 150-151 
			 Influenza and pneumonia * * * * * * * * J10-J18 
			 Ischaemic heart diseases * * * * * * * - 120-125 
			 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of colon, sigmoid, rectum and anus * * * * * * * - C18-C21 
			 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of ovary - * * * - * - * C56 
			 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of trachea, bronchus and lung * * * * * * * * C33-C34 
			 Malignant neoplasms (cancer) of breast * * * * * * * * C50 
			 Malignant neoplasms (cancer) of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue - - - -- * - - - C81-C96 
			 (1) Most frequent causes of death recorded as the underlying cause in female deaths registered in the year in question. These causes accounted for 58 per cent of all female deaths in Torbay constituency between 2001 and 2008. (2) Cause of death in England and Wales is defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (3) Based on boundaries as of 2009. (4) The words in brackets have been added for clarity and are not part of the International Classification of Diseases.

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many citizens' juries or summits have been hosted by her Department since October 2008; on what date each event took place; and which Ministers were present at each event.

Tessa Jowell: The Cabinet Office commissioned Central Office of Information (COI) to run a citizens' deliberative discussion in January 2009, to inform New Opportunities, the Social Mobility White Paper launched that same month. Approximately 40-50 members of the public attended the discussion.

Departmental Work Experience

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 11 November 2009,  Official Report, column 411W, on departmental work experience, what the average pro rata salary paid to interns in the Cabinet Office and Downing Street was in the latest year for which figures are available.

Tessa Jowell: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. Interns are recruited directly by Business Units. Information on role and salary level is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Government Departments: Energy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent discussions she has had with the Sustainable Development Commission on the estimated annual cost of energy used on the Government estate.

Angela Smith: The Minister for the Cabinet Office has not had any discussions with the Sustainable Development Commission on the estimated annual cost of energy used on the Government estate. However, officials within my Department work closely with the Sustainable Development Commission to improve our environmental performance.

Government Departments: Procurement

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps she plans to take to encourage  (a) social enterprises,  (b) small and medium-sized enterprises and  (c) organisations employing young people to bid for Government contracts; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Government are committed to providing a range of support to increase the ability of all types of third sector organisations, including social enterprises and organisations employing young people, to bid for and deliver Government contracts.
	We have therefore funded the national programme for third sector commissioning which provides a range of training to improve and increase the commissioning of public services from the third sector.
	The Government have also established the MISC 37 Cabinet Committee to investigate barriers to third sector organisations securing and delivering specific public service contracts.
	In addition Futurebuilders investments have increased the ability of third sector organisations to better bid for, win and deliver Government contracts now and in the future. In 2009 alone Futurebuilders investees won over 230 public service delivery contracts.
	To ensure that SMEs have equal opportunities to bid for Government business an OGC/BIS programme, Access for All, is currently implementing the recommendations made in the Glover Committee report Accelerating the SME Economic Engine.

Home Care Services: Finance

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate she has made of the cost of implementing the provisions of the Personal Care at Home Bill in the first 12 months of implementation.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Eddisbury the (Mr. O'Brien) on 7 December 2009,  Official Report, column 166W.

Hotels

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many separate bookings for stays at five star or above hotels were made through the Expotel contract by  (a) the Cabinet Office,  (b) the Charity Commission and  (c) the Central Office of Information in the last year for which figures are available; and what the cost of such bookings was.

Angela Smith: The information is as follows:
	(a) In the period January 2009 to December 2009 (inclusive), 55 bookings were made through the Cabinet Office's Expotel contract, for stays at five star hotels. This represents 3.3 per cent. of all hotel bookings for that period.
	 (b) No five star hotels were booked by Charity Commission staff through the Expotel contract in the period 1 January to 31 December 2009.
	 (c) No five star hotels were booked by the Central Office of Information staff through the Expotel contract in the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009.

Illegal Immigrants

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff her Department has appointed who later were discovered to be illegal immigrants since 2005.

Angela Smith: Our records show that no illegal immigrants have been appointed at Cabinet Office since 2005.

Non-profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether her Department monitors the performance of social enterprise networks in each region.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office does not monitor the performance of the social enterprise networks in each region. The Office of the Third Sector does, however, work closely with the regional social enterprise networks as well as the national social enterprise representative body, the Social Enterprise Coalition, of which the regional networks are all members. The Office of the Third Sector has recently committed to host and chair a regular working group of the regional social enterprise networks and the Regional Development Agencies which will aim to share information and best practice on supporting social enterprise.

Personal Income: North West

David Crausby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what her most recent estimate is of the ratio of female to male earnings in the North West.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 29 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the latest estimate is of the ratio of female to male earnings in the North West. (314507)
	Levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay, whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
	I attach a table showing the ratio of female to male earnings in 2009 for median hourly earnings excluding overtime for all and full-time employees on adult rates of pay, whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence, in the North West. Estimates of the ratio of female to male earnings for part-time employees are not reliable and are therefore not included.
	
		
			  Ratio of female to male earnings for employee jobs( 1) : The North West 2009 
			   Median hourly earnings excluding overtime  
			   Men  Women  Ratio of female to male earnings 
			   All  Full-time  Part-time  All  Full-time  Part-time  All  Full-time 
			 North West 11.58 12.14 7.47 9.14 10.90 7.46 0.79 0.90 
			 (1 )Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. As at April 2009.  Source: Annual Survey of hours and earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Skin Cancer: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many cases of melanoma in  (a) adults and  (b) children have been reported in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 28 January 2010:
	.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of melanoma (incidence) are for the year 2007. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	The table attached provides the number of melanoma cases reported in (a) adults aged 16 years and over, in Milton Keynes unitary authority, from 1997 to 2007. There were no cases of melanoma in (b) children aged under 16 years in Milton Keynes unitary authority between 1997 to 2007.
	
		
			  Table 1. Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of melanoma( 1) , adults, Milton Keynes unitary authority( 2) , 1997 to 2007( 3) 
			  Persons 
			 1997 25 
			 1998 16 
			 1999 26 
			 2000 30 
			 2001 30 
			 2002 29 
			 2003 21 
			 2004 36 
			 2005 30 
			 2006 34 
			 2007 26 
			 (1) Melanoma skin cancer is coded as C43 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) (2) Based on boundaries as of 2009 (3) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year

Stress

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will place in the Library a copy of the advice issued to staff of her Department on stress recognition and management.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office is committed to the health and well-being of its staff and has policies, procedures and support in place to identify, manage and reduce workplace stress.
	I have placed a copy of the Department's Stress Recognition and Management Guide in the Library.

Unemployment: Lone Parents

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many lone parents were unemployed in each year since 2007.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 29 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many lone parents were unemployed in each year since 2007. (314666)
	The information requested is given in the table attached. The figures are from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) household datasets for the three months ending June 2007 to 2009.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of unemployed working-age( 1)  lone parents( 2)  United Kingdom, April to June 
			  Thousands 
			   Unemployed lone parents 
			 2007 113 
			 2008 139 
			 2009 169 
			 (1) Women aged 16-59, men aged 16-64. (2 )Lone parents with dependent children; these are children who are under 16 or aged 16-18 unmarried and in full-time education.  Source: Labour Force Survey household dataset

Unemployment: Parents

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many working age adults with children were unemployed in each year since 2005.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 29 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many working-age adults with children were unemployed in each year since 2005. (314502)
	The information requested is given in the table attached. The figures are from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) household datasets for the three months ending June for each year requested.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of unemployed working-age( 1)  adults with children( 2) -United Kingdom, April to June 
			   Unemployed parents (thousand) 
			 2005 349 
			 2006 417 
			 2007 389 
			 2008 433 
			 2009 636 
			 (1) Women aged 16 to 59, men aged 16 to 64. (2) Dependent children; these are children who are under 16 or aged 16 to 18 unmarried and in full time education.  Source: Labour Force Survey Household dataset

Unemployment: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants in each constituency in the South West had been claiming that allowance for  (a) up to three,  (b) between three and six,  (c) between six and 12 and  (d) between 12 and 24 months in each month since September 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 28 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many and what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants in each constituency in the South West had been claiming that allowance for (a) up to three, (b) between three and six, (c) between six and 12 and (d) between 12 and 24 months in each month since September 2009. (314616)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. Table 1 shows the number of computerised claims of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for people, aged 16 or over resident in each parliamentary constituency in the South West, by duration of the claim. Table 2 shows the percentage of all claimants in each constituency by duration of the claim.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1 :  Number of persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance by duration( 1)  of claim 
			  Number 
			   September 2009  October 2009 
			  Duration of claim:  Up to 13 weeks  Over 13 weeks up to 26 weeks  Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks  Over 52 weeks up to 104 weeks  Total claimants  Up to 13 weeks  Over 13 weeks up to 26 weeks  Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks  Over 52 weeks up to 104 weeks  Total claimants 
			 Bath 795 285 295 95 1,495 755 325 275 105 1,475 
			 Bournemouth East 905 425 455 120 1,915 915 430 415 140 1,915 
			 Bournemouth West 935 445 475 115 1,980 970 420 475 125 2,005 
			 Bridgwater 960 395 375 100 1,850 975 380 340 110 1,815 
			 Bristol East 1,455 750 800 265 3,295 1,420 710 780 300 3,230 
			 Bristol North West 1,145 600 670 210 2,655 1,150 535 645 220 2,580 
			 Bristol South 1,325 690 780 200 3,010 1,280 665 705 215 2,885 
			 Bristol West 1,255 490 480 195 2,455 1,210 495 475 200 2,415 
			 Cheltenham 1,020 555 690 305 2,635 995 525 675 335 2,595 
			 Christchurch 550 225 230 60 1,075 510 245 220 70 1,055 
			 Cotswold 540 285 260 90 1,195 535 250 270 95 1,170 
			 Devizes 905 420 425 135 1,925 880 420 410 160 1,910 
			 East Devon 515 205 195 45 975 510 185 180 60 945 
			 Exeter 1,095 455 430 170 2,165 1,065 410 390 170 2,055 
			 Falmouth and Camborne 955 365 340 145 1,830 985 365 340 150 1,865 
			 Forest of Dean 705 370 445 145 1,695 675 340 405 185 1,620 
			 Gloucester 1,320 725 830 340 3,235 1,335 720 815 385 3,280 
			 Kingswood 1,045 500 475 130 2,160 1,050 480 450 130 2,120 
			 Mid Dorset and North Poole 610 270 230 50 1,175 565 250 220 65 1,110 
			 North Cornwall 890 350 330 100 1,690 1,015 340 315 115 1,805 
			 North Devon 690 255 205 60 1,220 685 230 185 70 1,170 
			 North Dorset 490 215 185 35 930 455 190 170 50 875 
			 North Swindon 1,140 735 755 190 2,860 1,180 635 745 195 2,800 
			 North Wiltshire 805 410 400 105 1,745 750 385 370 135 1,665 
			 Northavon 665 295 275 50 1,300 645 275 260 55 1,255 
			 Plymouth, Devonport 1,270 535 635 200 2,740 1,295 525 620 230 2,765 
			 Plymouth, Sutton 1,500 620 800 265 3,350 1,360 625 770 285 3,205 
			 Poole 740 380 310 70 1,510 755 355 315 85 1,515 
			 Salisbury 720 315 290 85 1,420 720 340 295 95 1,460 
			 Somerton and Frome 625 255 255 60 1,205 625 235 245 55 1,165 
			 South Dorset 665 275 260 85 1,300 735 265 265 90 1,370 
			 South East Cornwall 770 300 250 80 1,415 775 295 245 80 1,400 
			 South Swindon 1,355 790 885 270 3,355 1,290 715 875 285 3,225 
			 South West Devon 580 250 205 65 1,115 565 220 200 60 1,065 
			 St Ives 695 305 290 125 1,440 790 280 270 135 1,495 
			 Stroud 885 460 420 125 1,905 820 465 400 130 1,830 
			 Taunton 810 415 390 60 1,695 760 400 370 70 1,620 
			 Teignbridge 855 350 275 90 1,590 790 350 270 100 1,535 
			 Tewkesbury 745 375 395 150 1,690 735 360 375 155 1,655 
			 Tiverton and Honiton 710 270 255 95 1,345 695 265 245 100 1,320 
			 Torbay 1,260 565 540 250 2,645 1,310 535 525 270 2,675 
			 Torridge and West Devon 715 330 385 140 1,590 710 290 330 145 1,500 
			 Totnes 735 270 300 100 1,415 725 255 245 115 1,355 
			 Truro and St Austell 905 340 310 115 1,700 915 340 320 120 1,725 
			 Wansdyke 600 250 250 55 1,170 570 240 230 65 1,115 
			 Wells 715 295 300 70 1,395 690 285 270 85 1,345 
			 West Dorset 415 165 125 35 750 440 160 125 35 765 
			 Westbury 945 470 475 185 2,095 920 440 475 195 2,055 
			 Weston-Super-Mare 950 460 530 150 2,115 970 475 490 160 2,125 
			 Woodspring 575 230 195 30 1,035 545 205 165 40 960 
			 Yeovil 845 315 320 25 1,515 800 320 260 40 1,430 
			
			 Total 44,410 20,395 20,785 6,550 93,065 43,920 19,550 19,800 7,155 91,390 
		
	
	
		
			  Number 
			   November 2009  December 2009 
			  Duration of claim:  Up to 13 weeks  Over 13 weeks up to 26 weeks  Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks  Over 52 weeks up to 104 weeks  Total claimants  Up to 13 weeks  Over 13 weeks up to 26 weeks  Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks  Over 52 weeks up to 104 weeks  Total claimants 
			 Bath 725 335 250 115 1,445 705 325 240 115 1,405 
			 Bournemouth East 905 415 390 160 1,885 855 415 365 175 1,830 
			 Bournemouth West 985 410 445 150 2,010 925 440 415 170 1,965 
			 Bridgwater 990 375 310 125 1,810 1,050 410 315 130 1,920 
			 Bristol East 1,395 695 755 330 3,195 1,355 720 730 350 3,185 
			 Bristol North West 1,075 515 570 260 2,450 1,060 575 535 260 2,460 
			 Bristol South 1,230 685 650 240 2,825 1,190 680 630 265 2,790 
			 Bristol West 1,185 540 440 225 2,425 1,025 530 425 225 2,245 
			 Cheltenham 945 510 590 375 2,485 905 475 545 390 2,375 
			 Christchurch 575 255 215 80 1,130 560 250 205 85 1,110 
			 Cotswold 565 260 260 100 1,205 490 275 225 100 1,110 
			 Devizes 935 420 405 180 1,985 845 440 355 195 1,880 
			 East Devon 560 195 150 60 975 540 215 140 65 970 
			 Exeter 1,125 400 330 180 2,055 1,030 425 335 170 1,990 
			 Falmouth and Camborne 1,010 385 320 160 1,910 1,030 425 310 180 1,975 
			 Forest of Dean 695 355 355 215 1,645 695 335 325 235 1,610 
			 Gloucester 1,285 685 730 405 3,140 1,270 655 690 425 3,075 
			 Kingswood 915 480 440 165 2,010 850 485 410 185 1,945 
			 Mid Dorset and North Poole 615 230 205 65 1,130 570 250 180 80 1,095 
			 North Cornwall 1,370 330 295 145 2,160 1,425 415 290 165 2,320 
			 North Devon 780 225 160 65 1,240 855 245 145 70 1,325 
			 North Dorset 495 195 165 55 920 475 185 160 60 890 
			 North Swindon 1,150 570 700 245 2,705 1,075 525 635 265 2,540 
			 North Wiltshire 755 385 335 165 1,665 710 370 310 180 1,595 
			 Northavon 600 260 240 75 1,185 555 255 210 80 1,115 
			 Plymouth, Devonport 1,245 505 570 275 2,690 1,065 555 495 275 2,495 
			 Plymouth, Sutton 1,320 620 675 330 3,110 1,120 615 590 345 2,830 
			 Poole 755 325 310 100 1,495 775 325 295 115 1,525 
			 Salisbury 720 330 270 115 1,445 635 315 255 125 1,340 
			 Somerton and Frome 575 265 205 60 1,115 565 275 200 75 1,130 
			 South Dorset 905 285 240 110 1,550 970 315 240 115 1,655 
			 South East Cornwall 850 325 225 90 1,505 845 335 215 95 1,505 
			 South Swindon 1,250 675 790 330 3,105 1,150 605 705 350 2,870 
			 South West Devon 520 215 195 60 1,005 440 180 170 60 870 
			 St Ives 995 295 275 145 1,740 1,075 330 280 150 1,870 
			 Stroud 810 450 380 150 1,810 770 410 380 160 1,740 
			 Taunton 720 340 365 90 1,535 730 345 355 110 1,555 
			 Teignbridge 825 320 225 115 1,515 785 320 215 120 1,465 
			 Tewkesbury 690 345 350 155 1,580 625 305 340 150 1,460 
			 Tiverton and Honiton 660 270 215 110 1,270 635 290 195 115 1,250 
			 Torbay 1,325 565 515 265 2,700 1,245 600 520 275 2,680 
			 Torridge and West Devon 825 305 275 180 1,610 800 340 265 185 1,625 
			 Totnes 775 290 215 120 1,415 770 305 210 140 1,445 
			 Truro and St Austell 1,065 315 300 120 1,835 1,090 370 255 135 1,885 
			 Wansdyke 560 240 205 80 1,105 530 250 185 85 1,070 
			 Wells 720 300 245 100 1,375 730 330 245 110 1,425 
			 West Dorset 445 170 125 35 785 470 195 130 45 850 
			 Westbury 880 435 445 210 1,985 810 420 425 220 1,890 
			 Weston-Super-Mare 970 465 445 195 2,105 1,000 490 430 220 2,165 
			 Woodspring 580 200 155 40 985 535 220 140 55 960 
			 Yeovil 695 315 235 45 1,295 705 335 225 50 1,315 
			
			 Total 44,645 19,380 18,255 8,075 91,360 43,030 19,795 17,190 8,610 89,680 
			 1 Data on duration of claim is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7 per cent. of all claims.  Note: Data rounded to nearest five.  Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Proportion of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance by duration( 1)  of claim 
			  Percentage 
			   September 2009  October 2009 
			  Duration of claim:  Up to 13 weeks  Over 13 weeks up to 26 weeks  Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks  Over 52 weeks up to 104 weeks  Up to 13 weeks  Over 13 weeks up to 26 weeks  Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks  Over 52 weeks up to 104 weeks 
			 Bath 53 19 20 6 51 22 19 7 
			 Bournemouth East 47 22 24 6 48 23 22 7 
			 Bournemouth West 47 22 24 6 48 21 24 6 
			 Bridgwater 52 21 20 6 54 21 19 6 
			 Bristol East 44 23 24 8 44 22 24 9 
			 Bristol North West 43 23 25 8 45 21 25 9 
			 Bristol South 44 23 26 7 44 23 24 8 
			 Bristol West 51 20 20 8 50 21 20 8 
			 Cheltenham 39 21 26 12 38 20 26 13 
			 Christchurch 51 21 21 6 49 23 21 7 
			 Cotswold 45 24 22 8 46 21 23 8 
			 Devizes 47 22 22 7 46 22 22 8 
			 East Devon 53 21 20 5 54 20 19 6 
			 Exeter 51 21 20 8 52 20 19 8 
			 Falmouth and Camborne 52 20 19 8 53 20 18 8 
			 Forest of Dean 42 22 26 9 42 21 25 11 
			 Gloucester 41 22 26 11 41 22 25 12 
			 Kingswood 48 23 22 6 50 23 21 6 
			 Mid Dorset and North Poole 52 23 20 5 51 23 20 6 
			 North Cornwall 53 21 20 6 56 19 17 7 
			 North Devon 57 21 17 5 58 20 16 6 
			 North Dorset 53 23 20 4 52 22 20 6 
			 North Swindon 40 26 26 7 42 23 27 7 
			 North Wiltshire 46 24 23 6 45 23 22 8 
			 Northavon 51 23 21 4 52 22 21 5 
			 Plymouth, Devonport 46 20 23 7 47 19 22 8 
			 Plymouth, Sutton 45 19 24 8 43 20 24 9 
			 Poole 49 25 21 5 50 23 21 6 
			 Salisbury 51 22 21 6 49 23 20 7 
			 Somerton and Frome 52 21 21 5 53 20 21 5 
			 South Dorset 51 21 20 7 54 20 20 7 
			 South East Cornwall 55 21 18 6 55 21 18 6 
			 South Swindon 40 24 26 8 40 22 27 9 
			 South West Devon 52 23 18 6 53 21 19 6 
			 St Ives 48 21 20 9 53 19 18 9 
			 Stroud 46 24 22 7 45 26 22 7 
			 Taunton 48 24 23 4 47 25 23 5 
			 Teignbridge 54 22 17 6 52 23 18 7 
			 Tewkesbury 44 22 23 9 44 22 23 9 
			 Tiverton and Honiton 53 20 19 7 53 20 19 8 
			 Torbay 48 21 21 9 49 20 20 10 
			 Torridge and West Devon 45 21 24 9 47 19 22 10 
			 Totnes 52 19 21 7 54 19 18 9 
			 Truro and St Austell 53 20 18 7 53 20 19 7 
			 Wansdyke 51 22 21 5 51 21 21 6 
			 Wells 51 21 22 5 51 21 20 6 
			 West Dorset 55 22 17 5 58 21 16 5 
			 Westbury 45 22 23 9 45 22 23 10 
			 Weston-Super-Mare 45 22 25 7 46 23 23 8 
			 Woodspring 55 22 19 3 57 22 17 4 
			 Yeovil 56 21 21 2 56 23 18 3 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   November 2009  December 2009 
			  Duration of claim:  Up to 13 weeks  Over 13 weeks up to 26 weeks  Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks  Over 52 weeks up to 104 weeks  Up to 13 weeks  Over 13 weeks up to 26 weeks  Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks  Over 52 weeks up to 104 weeks 
			 Bath 50 23 17 8 50 23 17 8 
			 Bournemouth East 48 22 21 8 47 23 20 10 
			 Bournemouth West 49 20 22 8 47 22 21 9 
			 Bridgwater 55 21 17 7 55 21 17 7 
			 Bristol East 44 22 24 10 43 23 23 11 
			 Bristol North West 44 21 23 11 43 23 22 11 
			 Bristol South 44 24 23 9 43 25 23 10 
			 Bristol West 49 22 18 9 46 24 19 10 
			 Cheltenham 38 21 24 15 38 20 23 16 
			 Christchurch 51 23 19 7 50 23 18 8 
			 Cotswold 47 22 22 8 44 25 21 9 
			 Devizes 47 21 20 9 45 24 19 10 
			 East Devon 57 20 16 7 56 22 15 7 
			 Exeter 55 20 16 9 52 22 17 9 
			 Falmouth and Camborne 53 20 17 9 52 22 16 9 
			 Forest of Dean 42 22 22 13 43 21 20 15 
			 Gloucester 41 22 23 13 41 21 23 14 
			 Kingswood 46 24 22 8 44 25 21 10 
			 Mid Dorset and North Poole 55 21 18 6 52 23 17 7 
			 North Cornwall 63 15 14 7 61 18 13 7 
			 North Devon 63 18 13 5 65 19 11 6 
			 North Dorset 54 21 18 6 54 21 18 7 
			 North Swindon 42 21 26 9 42 21 25 10 
			 North Wiltshire 46 23 20 10 45 23 19 12 
			 Northavon 51 22 20 7 50 23 19 8 
			 Plymouth, Devonport 46 19 21 10 43 22 20 11 
			 Plymouth, Sutton 42 20 22 11 40 22 21 12 
			 Poole 51 22 21 7 51 21 20 8 
			 Salisbury 50 23 19 8 48 24 19 9 
			 Somerton and Frome 52 24 18 6 50 25 18 7 
			 South Dorset 58 18 15 7 59 19 15 7 
			 South East Cornwall 57 22 15 6 56 22 14 6 
			 South Swindon 40 22 25 11 40 21 25 12 
			 South West Devon 52 21 20 6 51 21 20 7 
			 St Ives 57 17 16 8 58 18 15 8 
			 Stroud 45 25 21 8 44 24 22 9 
			 Taunton 47 22 24 6 47 22 23 7 
			 Teignbridge 54 21 15 8 54 22 15 8 
			 Tewkesbury 44 22 22 10 43 21 24 10 
			 Tiverton and Honiton 52 21 17 9 51 23 16 10 
			 Torbay 49 21 19 10 46 23 19 10 
			 Torridge and West Devon 51 19 17 11 49 21 17 12 
			 Totnes 55 21 15 9 53 21 15 10 
			 Truro and St Austell 58 17 16 7 58 20 14 7 
			 Wansdyke 51 22 19 8 50 24 17 8 
			 Wells 52 22 18 8 51 23 17 8 
			 West Dorset 57 22 16 5 56 23 16 6 
			 Westbury 44 22 22 11 43 22 23 12 
			 Weston-Super-Mare 46 22 21 9 46 23 20 10 
			 Woodspring 59 20 16 4 56 23 15 6 
			 Yeovil 54 25 18 3 54 25 17 4 
			 (1) Data on duration of claim is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7 per cent. of all claims.  Note: Data rounded to nearest five.  Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System

TRANSPORT

British Transport Police: Fixed Penalties

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much has been raised by each category of fixed penalty notice issued by the British Transport Police in  (a) England and  (b) Wales since 2006.

Chris Mole: holding answer 29 January 2010
	The British Transport Police (BTP) have powers to issue two types of fixed penalty, fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and penalty notices for disorder (PNDs). FPNs are primarily for road traffic offences; the BTP rarely prosecute for these offences and, where they do, they do so by summons rather than fixed penalty.
	The amounts received by the BTP in respect of PNDs issued in England and Wales are as follows.
	
		
			   £50 fines  £80 fines  Total 
			 2006 23400 85920 109320 
			 2007 37150 143120 180270 
			 2008 37900 131600 169500 
			 2009 42500 146640 189140 
		
	
	Information on the split between penalty notices issued in England and those issued in Wales is not held centrally.

Bus Services: Concessions

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  how many national concessionary bus passes for those over the age of 60 years have been issued to residents of  (a) Cleethorpes constituency,  (b) North East Lincolnshire local authority area and  (c) North Lincolnshire local authority area in each year since they were introduced;
	(2)  how many national concessionary bus passes for people with disabilities have been issued to residents of  (a) Cleethorpes constituency,  (b) North East Lincolnshire local authority area and  (c) North Lincolnshire local authority area in each year since such passes were introduced.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport is not responsible for issuing passes and so does not maintain records of how many passes individual authorities have issued.
	Cleethorpes is part of the North East Lincolnshire county concessionary travel scheme. The last information held by the Department was that as of 12 January 2010, the North East Lincolnshire county scheme had issued 4,1667 smartcard concessionary passes. As of the same date, the North Lincolnshire county scheme had issued 32,903 smartcard concessionary passes. In both cases, this includes passes issued to disabled people as well as those aged 60 and over. The Department only holds headline figures for number of passes issued.

Consultants: Fees and Charges

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the likely level of spending by his Department on consultancy fees in the next five years; and what projects he anticipates employing consultants on.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not have an estimate of spending on consultancy fees in the next five years, as the Department's business plan for 2010-11 has yet to be finalised, and departmental budgets for 2011-12 onwards will be set at the next spending review.
	However, the Department is committed to contributing to the Smarter Government savings announced in the 2009 pre-Budget report, which include cutting consultancy spend by 50 per cent. by 2012-13.

Departmental Billing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies to pay invoices from (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) all creditors in the last 12 months.

Chris Mole: The Prime Minister announced in October 2008 that all central Government Departments will aim to pay invoices within 10 days. The Department and its agencies commenced reporting of 10 day payment performance in January 2009.
	In January 2009, 61.19 per cent. of invoices were paid within 10 days. The latest available data are for December 2009, when 92.62 per cent. of invoices were paid within 10 days. This means that payment performance has increased by 31.43 per cent. points over this period.
	We do not differentiate payments by supplier size as we have determined to pay all suppliers within 10 days.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

David Davis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which  (a) agencies and  (b) non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sell information on a commercial basis to (i) companies or individuals in the private sector and (ii) other organisations.

Chris Mole: Agencies/non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) that have Crown status, make most of their information available for free re-use under the PSI Click-Use Licence. Government trading funds are able under their trading fund status to charge for the services they provide in order to cover their costs. This covers information and its supply provided to other public bodies, commercial organisations and individuals. In common with other government policy, some information is sold as priced publications.
	Following are details about selling of information by Department for Transport agencies and NDPBs:
	 Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
	The MCA does sell information to companies and members of the public. For example, on request, information from the MCA's Public Register of UK ships and information that relates to search and rescue incidents from the MCA's systems is sold, all in compliance with the Data Protection Act.
	 Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA)
	VCA has the remit to meet its full costs from earned income, and operates in a competitive market. VCA sells type approval legislation and its associated interpretations.
	 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
	DVLA is a Government trading fund which has authority to charge for the services it provides in order to cover its costs. This covers information supplied to commercial organisations and individuals.
	 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA)
	VOSA does not currently sell information on a commercial basis. Some information has been provided to the agency's commercial customers on a cost recovery basis. The agency is assessing the opportunity and business case for further use of its information assets.
	 Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA)
	The GCDA does not sell information on a commercial basis to companies or individuals in the private sector and other organisations.
	 The Driving Standards Agency (DSA)
	DSA licenses its theory test item banks and hazard perception film clips to all sectors under the Information Fair Trader Scheme, regulated by the Office of Public Sector Information. The Stationery Office Ltd. (a private sector publisher) currently publishes DSA official learning materials and The Official Highway Code. DSA receives a royalty on sales as part of the contract price.
	 The Highways Agency (HA)
	The HA charges an access fee for video images and stills from the road network videos to various media companies, e.g. the BBC. The charge is minimal and is based on recovery of the costs of supplying the images.
	 Non-departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs)
	The Department for Transport is also responsible for 12 NDPBs. Of these, four are advisory or tribunal bodies; four are Executive NDPBs which do not sell information on a commercial basis; four are classified as public corporations. These are the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA); the Northern Lighthouse Board and Trinity House; Trust Ports. The public corporations receive most of their income from selling goods and services rather than from grant or voted supply.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies are in transition prior to being managed out; how long on average the transition window between notification and exit has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its agencies in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of the salary costs of staff in transition in each such year; and what proportion of employees in transition were classed as being so for more than six months in each year.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport and its agencies has not managed out any staff in financial years 2005-06 to 2008-09 inclusive. In the financial year 2009-10 there are three staff in transition prior to being redeployed within the civil service. The average time for being in transition is two months. The average cost in this financial year is £28,640. There are no staff in transition over six months.

First Capital Connect: Industrial Action

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will estimate the cost to commuters of the recent industrial action by drivers on First Capital Connect Thameslink services.

Chris Mole: This information is not collected by the Department for Transport.

Lorry Drivers

Ian Stewart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of heavy trucks and lorry drivers  (a) employed and  (b) self-employed in the UK; what estimate he has made of the average hours worked by each category of driver in the latest period for figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the average (i) hourly and (ii) weekly earnings of heavy truck and lorry drivers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Clark: The following table gives the numbers of heavy goods vehicle (HGV(1)) drivers who are  (a) employed and  (b) self employed, their hours worked, and hourly and weekly earnings during September 2009 in the United Kingdom.
	(1) In the 'Freight Transport by Road' industry class.
	
		
			   HGV drivers( 1) 
			   Employed  Self employed 
			 Number 109,113 16,417 
			 Usual paid hours worked per week (mean) 51 50 
			 Average gross weekly pay (£) 493 n/a 
			 Average gross hourly pay (£) 9.59 n/a 
			 n/a = Pay information is only available for employees (1) This includes LGV drivers and other drivers under the SOC2000 (Standard Occupational Classification 2000) 8211 category.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey, July-September 2009

Railways: Bus Services

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what information his Department holds on the number of rail replacement bus services that have been in operation for longer than  (a) one week,  (b) one month and  (c) one year; and what the cost has been of providing such services.

Chris Mole: holding answer 29 January 2010
	Rail services can be subject to amendment due to planned infrastructure improvements or maintenance works undertaken by Network Rail, especially at weekends and rail replacement bus services will often be provided as required to maintain passenger journey opportunities. Where substantial programmes of these works are being undertaken, these may, on occasion, take longer than one week.
	Responsibility for the provision of these services lies with train operators and the Department does not hold detailed data on the numbers or costs of such rail replacement bus services.
	There are a very small number of buses providing rail replacement services on the national network, as part of the specification for franchised passenger services provided by certain rail operators. The cost of these services are included within the overall financial settlement between the Department and the relevant train operator. The exception to this is the provision of a rail replacement bus service between Ealing Broadway and Wandsworth Road, which has been operated since December 2008. In relation to the monthly costs, I refer the hon. Member to the approximate January 2009 figures set out in the answer of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1192-3W.

Railways: Franchises

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the financial costs incurred by his Department when re-tendering each rail franchise since 2005.

Chris Mole: The total costs incurred by the Department for Transport in designing and tendering rail franchises from 2005-09 were £33.8 million, which comprises the following:
	Departmental staff, administration and non-franchise specific adviser costs for undertaking the specification, procurement and review of franchising documentation over this five year period was £15.3 million. To allocate such costs by franchise would incur disproportionate cost.
	External adviser costs for the franchises let by the Department 2005-09 were as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Southeastern(1) 2.0 
			 Thameslink(1) 1.4 
			 Greater Western(1) 1.3 
			 South Western 2.2 
			 London Midland 2.9 
			 East Midlands 2.6 
			 Cross Country 3.2 
			 Intercity East Coast (2007) 1.3 
			 Southern 1.6 
			 (1) Replacement initiated by the Strategic Rail Authority, concluded by the Department, the costs for which are identified.

Railways: Tickets

Richard Bacon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent steps his Department has taken to direct train operating companies to offer passengers the option of purchasing multiple tickets for their journeys.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport requires that operators sell combinations of tickets where these are requested, though there is no obligation to offer them as there is an almost infinite number of permutations of fares combinations. It is for the train operating companies themselves to consider whether and to what extent they should promote the practice of combining two or more tickets.

Railways: Tickets

Richard Bacon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent steps his Department has taken to direct train operating companies to offer passengers the cheapest possible fare for their journeys, irrespective of the number of tickets required to obtain such a fare.

Chris Mole: A requirement already exists under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement for train operators accurately to sell purchasers the most appropriate fare for the end to end journey they described, stressing either cost or convenience as the passenger determines.

Railways: Tickets

Richard Bacon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent steps his Department has taken to raise awareness among rail passengers of the financial benefits of purchasing multiple tickets for the same journey.

Chris Mole: Such promotional activity is for the train operators themselves or for bodies such as the two statutory organisations representing passengers, Passenger Focus and London TravelWatch, or other non-statutory organisations involved in consumer issues.

Railways: Yorkshire and the Humber

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans there are to introduce direct train services from London to  (a) Lincoln and  (b) Cleethorpes.

Chris Mole: Consultation for the May 2011 East Coast timetable is under way. It is currently envisaged that there will be a train every two hours from London Kings Cross to Lincoln and vice versa. As part of the consultation and evaluation process for the new Intercity East Coast franchise, due to start in autumn 2011, the Department for Transport will investigate the viability of specifying that some services are extended to and from Cleethorpes.

Roads: Accidents

David Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what progress has been made in reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured in road traffic accidents involving cars and motorcyclists over the last three years.

Paul Clark: The information requested is shown in the following table. These figures include all killed and seriously injured casualties in these accidents, not just occupants of the specified vehicles.
	
		
			  Reported killed or seriously injured road casualties in accidents involving cars and motorcycles: GB 2006-08 
			   Accident year 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			  Number of killed or seriously injured casualties in:
			 All accidents involving a car 26,713 25,468 23,724 
			 All accidents involving a motorcycle 6,992 7,247 6,457 
			 All accidents involving a car and a motorcycle 4,390 4,589 3,991 
			 
			  Percentage change from previous year:
			 All accidents involving a car -1.7 -4.7 -6.8 
			 All accidents involving a motorcycle 0.0 3.6 -10.9 
			 All accidents involving a car and a motorcycle -2.4 4.5 -13.0 
		
	
	The Department for Transport consulted in 2009 on a new road safety strategy for the next two decades, A Safer Way: Consultation on making Britain's Roads the Safest in the World. This consultation identified protecting motorcyclists as one of a number of key road safety challenges and proposed specific measures, as well as initiatives to tackle safety on rural roads, where motorcyclists are at particular risk. The new road safety strategy will be published following the completion of the North Review into drug and drink driving law.
	The Government's Motorcycling Strategy sets out a range of measures to improve the safety of all powered two-wheel users. It was published in February 2005 and a revised action plan was issued in June 2008. This includes THINK! publicity for powered two wheeler and other road users, improvements to rider training, a safer road environment and safer vehicles and equipment. We are currently working with stakeholders on revising the Motorcycle Strategy.

Roads: Accidents

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  how many road traffic accidents in Torbay constituency involved loss of life in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many road traffic accidents there were in  (a) Devon and  (b) Torbay constituency in each of the last five years; how many such accidents involved (i) motorcyclists and (ii) cyclists in each such year; and how many accidents of each type resulted in loss of life in each such year.

Paul Clark: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents in Devon county and Torbay parliamentary constituency( 1) : 2004-08 
			   Accident year 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Devon county  
			 All accidents 3,797 4,002 3,822 3,782 3,191 
			 Ail accidents involving a motorcycle(2) 556 560 469 513 465 
			 All accidents involving a pedal cycle(2) 279 282 275 260 259 
			   
			 All fatal accidents 41 54 41 53 40 
			 All fatal accidents involving a motorcycle(2) 15 17 5 16 11 
			 All fatal accidents involving a pedal cycle(2) 1 2 3 0 4 
			   
			  Torbay parliamentary constituency  
			 All accidents 347 328 301 291 283 
			 All accidents involving a motorcycle(2) 53 52 36 49 42 
			 All accidents involving a pedal cycle(2) 25 14 22 17 24 
			   
			 All fatal accidents 3 1 2 2 2 
			 All fatal accidents involving a motorcycle(2) 0 0 0 0 0 
			 All fatal accidents involving a pedal cycle(2) 0 0 0 0 1 
			 (1) Based on 2004 parliamentary constituency boundaries. (2) Includes accidents involving both motorcycles and pedal cycles. There were two such accidents in Devon in 2008.

Roads: Accidents

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the accident cluster sites are in the  (a) St. Edmundsbury Borough Council and  (b) Mid Suffolk District Council area.

Paul Clark: There is no standard definition for an accident cluster site. The assessment of local accident cluster sites is a matter for the relevant local highway authorities.

Roads: Accidents

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic  (a) accidents and  (b) fatalities there were involving drivers under the age of 21 years in (i) Bury St. Edmunds constituency and (ii) Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents and fatalities, involving at least one driver( 1)  aged under 21 years: 1997  to  2008 
			   Suffolk  Bury St. Edmunds( 2) 
			   Accidents  Fatalities  Accidents  Fatalities 
			 1997 379 7 72 2 
			 1998 377 3 70 1 
			 1999 386 6 47 1 
			 2000 375 12 62 2 
			 2001 384 8 55 0 
			 2002 377 5 48 1 
			 2003 398 9 69 0 
			 2004 367 7 45 0 
			 2005 423 4 71 1 
			 2006 367 17 58 0 
			 2007 372 5 53 0 
			 2008 345 3 45 0 
			 (1) Car, goods vehicle, bus and coach drivers. (2) Based on 2004 parliamentary constituency boundaries.

Roads: Accidents

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic  (a) accidents and  (b) fatalities have occurred (i) on the A14 and (ii) elsewhere in Suffolk between the hours of 8pm and 8am in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents( 1 ) and fatalities( 2 ) occurring between the hours of 20.00 and 08.00: 1997  to  2008 
			   Suffolk (excluding A14)  A14 (Suffolk section) 
			   Accidents  Fatalities  Accidents  Fatalities 
			 1997 519 15 29 3 
			 1998 526 4 23 1 
			 1999 518 22 26 1 
			 2000 502 21 33 4 
			 2001 553 18 39 5 
			 2002 543 19 50 3 
			 2003 566 20 36 1 
			 2004 518 16 37 3 
			 2005 530 19 42 2 
			 2006 484 19 37 2 
			 2007 480 13 39 3 
			 2008 431 13 29 0 
			 (1) Reported accidents in which at least one person was injured. (2) Casualties in road accidents who were fatally injured.

Roads: Accidents

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic accidents have occurred in Suffolk on each day of the week in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents in Suffolk by day of week: 1997  to  2008 
			  Number of accidents 
			  Year of accident  Monday  Tuesday  Wednesday  Thursday  Friday  Saturday  Sunday  Total 
			 1997 308 328 357 323 385 295 228 2,224 
			 1998 328 337 331 310 374 330 241 2,251 
			 1999 339 340 327 327 362 314 289 2,298 
			 2000 309 319 334 355 427 327 241 2,312 
			 2001 382 348 338 328 386 332 242 2,356 
			 2002 335 328 314 375 380 321 247 2,300 
			 2003 356 343 308 356 393 298 287 2,341 
			 2004 289 310 349 374 353 301 244 2,220 
			 2005 337 319 361 325 377 283 235 2,237 
			 2006 313 283 306 313 390 265 217 2,087 
			 2007 320 330 309 297 341 263 216 2,076 
			 2008 302 289 346 326 341 236 221 2,061

Roads: Accidents

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic accidents have occurred on the A14 in Suffolk on each day of the week in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents on the A14 in Suffolk  by day of week: 199 7 to  2008 
			   Number of accidents 
			   Mon day  Tues day  Wed nesday  Thur sday  Fri day  Sat urday  Sun day  Total 
			 1997 16 19 22 15 16 20 20 128 
			 1998 18 16 20 11 22 18 18 123 
			 1999 22 20 17 14 17 16 16 122 
			 2000 19 27 24 28 14 15 11 138 
			 2001 17 17 22 23 21 22 16 138 
			 2002 26 28 20 20 27 21 15 157 
			 2003 22 22 23 23 14 11 13 128 
			 2004 17 20 25 23 21 20 17 143 
			 2005 18 23 33 16 28 15 17 150 
			 2006 21 22 24 12 20 11 9 119 
			 2007 13 23 18 24 21 13 14 126 
			 2008 25 15 24 20 25 4 13 126

Roads: Accidents

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic accidents occurred in Milton Keynes on average on each day of the week in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  The average number of reported personal injury road accidents in Milton Keynes (unitary authority) on each day of the week: 1997  to  2008 
			   Average  number of accidents  
			   Monday  Tuesday  Wednesday  Thursday  Friday  Saturday  Sunday  Total number of accidents 
			 1997 2.79 2.71 3.34 2.54 2.96 2.48 1.90 977 
			 1998 2.75 3.29 2.73 2.81 2.87 1.98 2.35 979 
			 1999 2.83 2.85 2.58 2.71 3.36 2.31 1.65 954 
			 2000 2.90 2.90 2.71 3.02 3.65 2.26 1.91 1,011 
			 2001 2.45 2.71 2.83 2.44 3.10 2.29 2.02 930 
			 2002 2.17 2.21 2.50 2.62 3.06 2.12 1.87 862 
			 2003 2.67 2.44 1.98 2.56 2.62 2.10 1.60 832 
			 2004 2.37 2.31 2.35 2.49 2.75 1.98 1.69 834 
			 2005 2.33 2.63 2.60 2.65 3.06 1.77 1.62 868 
			 2006 2.25 2.87 2.58 2.44 3.25 2.08 1.89 904 
			 2007 2.26 2.40 2.21 2.37 2.42 2.08 1.56 798 
			 2008 2.04 2.28 2.42 2.19 2.38 1.96 1.31 763

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the level of financial saving that would result from the cancellation of the Inter-City Express Programme.

Chris Mole: We intend to place appropriate financial information from the contract with Agility Trains which is currently commercially confidential, in the public domain following financial close.

Speed Limits: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of speed cameras in  (a) the London borough of Bexley and  (b) London in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2009.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport only holds information about the number of safety camera sites operating within the National Safety Camera Programme for England and Wales which started in 2001 and ended on 31 March 2007. There were 294 speed camera sites (including average speed cameras) operating in London in 2001 and 439 when the programme ended in 2007.
	Since 1 April 2007 the deployment of safety cameras has been the responsibility of individual local partnerships. Separate information for each London borough is not held by the Department, but may be held by the London Safety Camera Partnership along with details regarding the current number of sites.

Transport: Finance

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of any projects his Department has considered cancelling in each of the last five years, together with any calculations of the estimated costs or savings likely to result from each.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport routinely reviews the business cases of its projects at a number of pre-defined stages in their development, in accordance with project management best practice. Projects are reviewed at each stage on the basis of their projected benefits, value for money and affordability. A project is therefore not regarded as either 'approved' or 'cancelled' until a final decision stage is reached.

PRIME MINISTER

Transcription Services

Greg Hands: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much 10 Downing Street spent on transcription services to each supplier in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10 to date;
	(2)  what transcripts have been provided for 10 Downing Street by Global Lingo since March 2009; what each transcript's date of production was; and what the cost was to the public purse of each transcript;
	(3)  on what contractual basis Global Lingo provide transcription services to 10 Downing Street;
	(4)  what system was in place for the provision of transcripts of 10 Downing Street events before March 2009.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of Cabinet Office. Information relating to expenditure incurred on transcription services is not held centrally and therefore is available only at disproportionate cost.
	The Cabinet Office does not have any contractual agreements with Global Lingo.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Apprentices

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much has been spent on the apprenticeship scheme associated with the London 2012 Olympics.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department and the Department for Children, Schools and Families expect to spend over £1 billion on apprenticeships this year. The total cost of delivering apprenticeships associated with the London 2012 Olympics is not available. Training costs of apprenticeship frameworks funded through the National Apprenticeship Service and associated with the Olympics are not separately identifiable from those not connected with the Olympics.
	Olympic development apprenticeships are also being supported by a number of other partners including the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), ConstructionSkills and individual colleges and training providers. The ODA has contributed £275,000 towards the apprenticeship programme, while ConstructionSkills will be providing an employer support contribution of £319,000 over a two year programme through the National Construction College.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

GCSE: Disadvantaged

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of white  (a) boys and  (b) girls eligible for free school meals at the end of key stage 4 did not achieve an A* to C grade at GCSE in (i) English, (ii) mathematics, (iii) history, (iv) French and (v) physics in (A) the earliest year and (B) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 11 January 2010
	 Pupil level attainment data by free school meal eligibility and ethnicity is only available from 2003 onwards. The information requested is presented in the following table and is for maintained schools only.
	
		
			  Subject  Number of white pupils( 1)  eligible for free-school meals entered for subject not achieving a GCSE grade A*-C  Percentage of white pupils eligible for free-school meals entered for subject not achieving a GCSE grade A*-C 
			   Boys  Girls  Boys  Girls 
			  2003 
			 English 19,586 16,046 76.8 61.7 
			 Mathematics 21,837 21,423 81.8 81.5 
			 History 3,631 3,656 71.5 67.9 
			 French 7,391 8,011 86.5 75.5 
			 Physics 119 131 32.6 43.1 
			  
			  2009( 2) 
			 English 15,398 13,245 69.8 57.4 
			 Mathematics 14,748 15,766 65.2 68.4 
			 History 2,791 2,557 64.5 58.7 
			 French 1,450 2,019 63.6 57.7 
			 Physics 164 145 17.5 19.0 
			 (1) Figures for 2003 are based on pupils aged 15 and 2009 figures are based on pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. (2) Figures for 2009 are provisional.  Source: National Pupil Database

Parents: Advisory Services

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many telephone calls have been  (a) received and  (b) answered by the Parent Know How helplines in each month since such helplines were established;
	(2)  how much has been spent on creating and maintaining the Parent Know How online directory and website;
	(3)  how many unique visitors have been received by the Parent Know How online directory in each month since its creation;
	(4)  how much has been spent on the Parent Know How  (a) publications,  (b) video and audio content and  (c) social networking and virtual offices in each year since the inception of that service;
	(5)  how much has been paid to external consultants and advisers for work relating to the Parent Know How service in each month since the inception of that service.

Dawn Primarolo: Under our Parent Know How programme we are funding seven third sector organisations to provide helpline support for parents in England.
	Management data, including the number of telephone calls received and answered by the helplines, were collected on a quarterly basis in the first year (1 April 2008-31 March 2009). In the current year, we are now collecting this data on a monthly basis. The following table shows a breakdown of the number of recorded calls received and answered by each helpline between 1 April 2008 and 30 November 2009.
	
		
			  2008-09 Recorded calls received 
			  Helpline  Advisory Centre for Education  Contact a Family  Children's Legal Centre  Family Rights Group  Gingerbread  Parentline Plus  Young Minds 
			 Q1 33,395 4,361 4,978 6,498 2,544 47,033 2,502 
			 Q2 10,669 6,598 6,752 5,560 2,923 40,140 2,018 
			 Q3 15,249 4,575 7,070 4,211 2,434 39,266 2,437 
			 Q4 21,298 5,815 9,008 6,957 3,095 39,430 2,868 
			 Totals 80,611 21,349 27,808 23,226 10,996 165,869 9,825 
			 Overall total 339,684 
		
	
	
		
			  2009-10: Recorded calls received to 30 November 
			  Helpline  Advisory Centre for Education  Contact a Family  Children's Legal Centre  Family Rights Group  Gingerbread  Parentline Plus  Young Minds 
			 April 7,476 1,427 2,043 1,861 847 12,322 599 
			 May 7,637 1,329 1,819 2,087 724 13,511 678 
			 June 6,359 1,336 1,938 2,219 363 11,970 778 
			 July 4,202 1,165 2,420 1,857 920 13,169 904 
			 August 1,023 1,361 1,188 1,145 857 11,420 526 
			 September 3,578 1,428 2,066 41,562 1,019 12,768 795 
			 October 4,006 1,418 2,342 1,057 1,030 12.064 914 
			 November 3,918 1,572 1,915 1,292 970 11,466 823 
			 Totals 38,199 11,036 15,731 13,0806 730 98,690 6,017 
			 Overall total 189,483 
		
	
	
		
			  2008-09: calls answered 
			  Helpline  Advisory Centre for Education  Contact a Family  Children's Legal Centre  Family Rights Group  Gingerbread  Parentline Plus  Young Minds 
			 Q1 1,903 2,051 1,291 875 1,376 26,967 1,206 
			 Q2 1,521 3,182 1,501 906 1,317 23,086 1,123 
			 Q3 1,741 2,401 1,554 996 1,094 21,738 1,380 
			 Q4 2,798 2,421 1,740 1,412 1,395 21,914 1,626 
			 Totals 7,963 10,055 6,086 4,189 5,182 93,705 5,335 
			 Overall total 132,515 
		
	
	
		
			  2009-10: Calls answered by 30 November 
			  Helpline  Advisory Centre for Education  Contact a Family  Children's Legal Centre  Family Rights Group  Gingerbread  Parentline Plus  Young Minds 
			 April 700 709 551 396 350 6,806 339 
			 May 760 755 722 364 295 7,342 309 
			 June 1,063 972 945 337 115 7,056 392 
			 July 897 713 628 309 409 7,226 452 
			 August 360 710 751 227 335 7,124 256 
			 September 1,186 734 906 362 617 6,703 442 
			 October 938 728 806 382 573 6,965 440 
			 November 1,069 712 725 344 660 6,799 460 
			 Totals 6,973 6,033 6,034 2,721 3,354 56,021 3,090 
			 Overall total 84,226 
		
	
	We do not have details on the number of unique visitors using the Parent Know How Directory since it does not have its own website. The Directory is published on various websites that are used by parents, including Directgov, DadTalk and Parentline Plus. The number of hits on the system that feeds data to all the sites that publish the Parent Know How Directory currently averages 52,000 each day. In the last financial year (2008-09) £6,627,000 was spent on the Directory-which includes £5.65 millon in grants to local authorities to enable them to develop their own local databases of family service information. In this financial year (2009-10) we anticipate spending £1,500,000.
	A range of organisations are funded under the Parent Know How programme to deliver different services to support parents.
	At any time these individual organisations may be delivering that support via  (a) publications,  (b) video and audio content or  (c) social networking-as well as telephone helplines and websites. We do not hold the information to accurately disaggregate the spending on each of these activities from the overall funding for each of these organisations. But the table below sets out the costs for these activities, for each year from April 2008 where this can be clearly identified from the information held.
	
		
			  2008-09 
			   £ 
			 Publications 60,824 
			 Video and audio content 46,616 
			 Social networking and virtual offices 4,155,298 
		
	
	
		
			  2009-10: (1 April-14 December 2009) 
			   £ 
			 Publications 93,349 
			 Video and audio content 159,933 
			 Social networking and virtual offices 3,877,881 
		
	
	The table as follows sets out how much has been paid to external consultants and advisers each month since the Parent Know How programme started in 2008:
	
		
			   £ 
			 April 2008 408,384 
			 May 2008 433,334 
			 June 2008 530,748 
			 July 2008 408,478 
			 August 2008 495,923 
			 September 2008 428,055 
			 October 2008 340,361 
			 November 2008 154,646 
			 December 2008 119,266 
			 January 2009 143,440 
			 February 2009 151,894 
			 March 2009 199,822 
			 April 2009 196,782 
			 May 2009 161,776 
			 June 2009 189,816 
			 July 2009 172,173 
			 August 2009 162,932 
			 September 2009 142,853 
			 October 2009 135,585 
			 November 2009 123,740 
			 Total 5,100,008

Pre-School Education: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on extending the pre-school entitlement to two year-olds in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Funding for the two-year-old offer of free early education and child care is provided to local authorities as a ring-fenced block of the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant. The latest year for which audited spend is currently available is 2007-08. The spend for 2007-08 was £10,421,842. This was for the 32 local authorities in wave one of the programme.
	The allocations for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Three year allocations for the two-year-old early learning and child care block of the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant 
			   Two-year-old early learning and child care allocations (£) 
			 2008-09 16,994,418 
			 2009-10 58,203,890 
			 2010-11 66,756,807